Tech News Weekly (Audio)

TWiT
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  • Tech News
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Industry expert Mikah Sargent, brings you interviews from tech journalists who make or break the top stories of the week. Get the freshest perspective and in depth insight into the fast-paced world of technology from Tech News Weekly. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes every Thursday.

TECH NEWS WEEKLY

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  1. 2d ago

    Congress Takes Aim at Flock - Why AI Agents Look & Feel Inviting

    Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on this week's episode of Tech News Weekly! Common Sense Media labels ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk." AI agents from companies such as Meta and OpenAI are "cute washing" to make them feel friendlier. A federal judge ruled a Flock license plate search unconstitutional. And organs-on-chips, simulations, and AI models are starting to replace animal testing. Amanda talks about Common Sense Media's labeling of ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk", as its friend-like design, engagement incentives, and rarely appearing "take a break" prompts can keep teens talking to a chatbot instead of a trusted adult. Mikah shares an article from Fast Company's Grace Snelling, who coined the term "cute washing" for how SpaceX AI's Grokbot, Meta's Muse, and OpenAI's Dot all use big eyes and soft shapes to make autonomous AI agents feel friendly. Jason Koebler of 404 Media joins the show to discuss the first federal ruling to call an automated license plate reader search unconstitutional, and explains how Flock's network of more than 100,000 cameras feeds federal programs like HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area). And Mikah explains how organs-on-chips, computer simulations, and AI models are beginning to replace animal testing as regulators like the FDA shift their rules, as noted by IEEE Spectrum's Brandon Kim. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Jason Koebler Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit-biz bitwarden.com/twit

  2. Oct 1

    Are AI Models a Risk to Humanity? - Apple's Rumored Smart Display

    Abrar Al-Heeti is guest-hosting this episode of Tech News Weekly and is joined by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy for the first half of the show! Apple's smart home display could be closer than we think. Is the iPhone Duo going to be for most consumers? Are there too many satellites in orbit? And a leaked IPO filing from Anthropic shows concerns within the company that its AI models pose a risk to humanity. Jennifer breaks down Mark Gurman's reporting that Apple's long-rumored smart home display could be announced as early as October 13, and shares specs of the device, including a 6-inch screen, an iMac G4-style design, and a price point between $250-$350. Abrar wrote a piece for CNET about how she thinks that Apple's $2,000 iPhone Duo is not going to be for everyone and how foldable phones will be a niche market for some time. Senior Writer Joe Supan of CNET joins the show to talk about space junk and how, since satellite launches have exploded since 2019, a cascade of collisions within low Earth orbit is of concern. And CNN's Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco talks about a leaked IPO report from Anthropic that shows concerns and risks with its AI models to the human race. Hosts: Abrar Al-Heeti and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guests: Joe Supan and Lisa Eadicicco Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: PaloAltoNetworks.com/Idira rippling.ai/tnw trustedtech.team/twit

  3. Sep 24

    Meta VR: Quest Gets a Glow-Up - Meta VR Glasses

    Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show this week! Meta's Muse has a zero-day vulnerability. Rat brains can power an AI model? Why are we hearing more about AI agents escaping their testing environments? And Meta's new VR glasses. Dan talks about a new zero-day exploit that affects Meta's Muse AI agent, which allows an app or terminal command that can impersonate the AI agent and easily gain access to users' messages, emails, and other sensitive data. Mikah is amazed at the Biological Computing Company's new AI video model that was built from patterns utilizing lab-grown rat neurons. Mikah walks through The Verge's report on why researchers can't simply air-gap AI agents that keep escaping test environments and hitting real-world targets. And Scott Stein of CNET joins the show live from Meta's Headquarters to share his hands-on impressions of Meta's new VR glasses that were unveiled at this year's Meta Connect event. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Scott Stein Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: trustedtech.team/twit horizon3.ai/technews outsystems.com/twit framer.com/tnw

  4. Sep 18

    The Trouble With "Health Age" - Wearables, Metrics, and the Truth About Your Well-Being

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show this week! AI-generated "news" sites. Are "health age" scores helpful, or harmful? Google Home now supports the Model Context Protocol. And Apple unveils a new photo verification technology for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Mikah shares a story about Futurism's investigation into Brown Brothers Media reveals a network of AI-generated "news" sites - complete with fabricated writer personas and stolen bylines. Victoria Song of The Verge joins the show to explain why "health age" scores from wearables like Whoop, Oura, and now Apple Watch are wildly inconsistent proprietary metrics that can fuel unnecessary shame or false confidence about your health. Jennifer discusses Google Home's new MCP support and makes the case that what smart homes really need is a dedicated, on-device "smart home computer" rather than more cloud-dependent AI. And Mikah talks about Apple's Reference Image feature for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which aims to verify photo authenticity straight from the camera sensor, an approach the company says avoids the privacy and security pitfalls of industry standards like C2PA. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Victoria Song Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: trustedtech.team/twit outsystems.com/twit rayneo.com threatlocker.com/twit

  5. Sep 10

    Apple's New iPhone Duo - Apple Event Recap & Anthropic AI Alarms

    Jacob Ward explores the resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher and mounting alarms over AI's potential dangers, while Dan Moren recaps Apple's major iPhone event, new hardware, and controversial AI-powered features. AI researcher Jacob Coxon quits Anthropic, warning the company is "gambling with our lives," an admission echoed by Anthropic's own AI safety leads, as calls for regulation grow louder inside the industry. Apple's iPhone event marks the start of the John Ternus era as CEO, with Tim Cook stepping up to executive chairman and handing off the spotlight at a packed launch. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 launch with advanced health sensors and Apple Intelligence-powered "Live Rewind" transcription features, raising questions about privacy, surveillance, and brand identity. Apple finally unveils the iPhone Duo foldable, with a redesigned interface for multitasking and new workflows, aiming to set the standard for premium foldables as pricing and developer adaptation come under scrutiny. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward Guest: Dan Moren Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit-biz bitwarden.com/twit

  6. Sep 3

    Scammers Cash In on GTA 6 - Why Cybercriminals Strike Fast When Hype Is High

    Apple enters the John Ternus era as he becomes CEO ahead of the anticipated iPhone event, a climate scientist exposes the real energy costs of AI use, a bezel-free concept phone debuts at IFA, and Malwarebytes warns GTA fans about dangerous fake "GTA 6 Extended Look" downloads. Apple kicks off the John Ternus era as CEO, just ahead of a much-anticipated iPhone event—facing challenges in AI, manufacturing, regulation, and the ever-present rumor of a foldable iPhone. A climate scientist's 8-week experiment spotlights how much energy AI actually burns, showing prompt-based measurements miss the real environmental impact of today's intensive tools. Tecno unveils Bezelless - a bezel-less concept phone at IFA, as anticipation builds for Apple's rumored border-free iPhone. Chris Fistonich from Malwarebytes joins to warn about fake GTA 6 sites delivering info-stealing malware to unsuspecting gamers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Chris Fistonich Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit framer.com/tnw rippling.ai/tnw

  7. Aug 27

    Meta's $18B Social Media Settlement - What This Means for Kids & Social Media

    Meta pays up in a landmark teen safety settlement & establishes new online safety measures for teens, Raspberry Pi goes official on the cyberdeck craze, and looking at what Apple unveiled earlier this week & looking ahead to Apple's September event. Meta settled a lawsuit with over 47 states and territories over harms to teens, agreeing to independently tested age verification, daily time limits, notification restrictions, and parental alerts on Instagram and Facebook. Raspberry Pi is getting in on the cyberdeck craze as the company published an official cyberdeck tutorial with a parts list and build instructions. And D. Griffin Jones joins the show to talk about Apple's updates to its Mac mini and Mac Studio, and what the expectations may be for its "Surprise and Shine" September event. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: D. Griffin Jones Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: horizon3.ai/technews threatlocker.com/twit outsystems.com/twit cirasync.com/TNW

  8. Aug 20

    AI Is Eating Rare Books - Rare Books Gutted for AI Training

    Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET joins the show to talk about her review of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, Meta's smart glasses are slowly becoming a concern in the workplace, and Amazon is destroying rare books & utilizing them as AI training data. Abrar Al-Heeti shares her review of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, noting how foldables have become nearly indistinguishable in size from standard phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and shares a look at its camera, battery, and new software features like Pause Point. Mikah shares an article published by The Verge that looks into how retail workers, tourism employees, and comedians describe being secretly recorded by Meta Ray-Ban wearers on the job. And 404 Media's Emanuel Maiberg joins the show to share his investigation into Amazon buying and shredding rare, out-of-print books to scan them as AI training data, and how a legal ruling in Anthropic's book-piracy case made destroying the originals advantageous. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Emanuel Maiberg Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: box.com/AI cirasync.com/TNW

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Hosts & Guests

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out of 5
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About

Industry expert Mikah Sargent, brings you interviews from tech journalists who make or break the top stories of the week. Get the freshest perspective and in depth insight into the fast-paced world of technology from Tech News Weekly. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes every Thursday.

Information

  • Creator
    TWiT
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2026
  • Episodes
    224
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Show Website
    Tech News Weekly (Audio)
  • Provider
    TWiT, LLC

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