Hard Fork

The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft last week for copyright infringement. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton walk through the lawsuit and discuss the stakes for news publishers. Then, they talk about Apple’s “walled garden,” which is facing threats from both regulators and 16-year-olds. Finally, we set our tech resolutions for the new year.

Today’s guest: Eric Migicovsky, co-founder of Beeper

Additional Reading:

• The New York Times sued OpenAI.
• Apple’s latest headache in the debate over blue vs. green bubbles.

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Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

Last year, we predicted what 2023 in tech would look like. This week, we take a look back at those predictions, see what we got right and wrong, and make new ones for 2024.

Then, the actor, comedian and writer Jenny Slate joins us to answer your Hard Questions.

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

A jury decided the Google Play store unfairly stifles competition and maintains a monopoly. Kevin and Casey discuss how the ruling could reshape the digital economy. Then, a growing movement of developers and enthusiasts of artificial intelligence want the technology developed as quickly as possible, even if it has negative consequences for humanity. And finally, why the internet of the future could look totally different.

Today’s guest: Cloudflare CEO and co-founder Matthew Prince.

Additional Reading:

• Epic Games won its lawsuit against Google.
• ‘Effective Accelerationism’ is Silicon Valley’s latest, and maybe weirdest, counterculture.
• Cloudflare tracked the biggest changes to the internet in 2023.

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

Warning: This episode contains some explicit language.

Google’s new artificial intelligence model ‘Gemini’ is out. It’s advertised as America’s next top A.I. model. Kevin and Casey ask, is it really better than OpenAI’s GPT-4? Then, by some estimates millions of people pre-ordered Tesla’s Cybertruck, but has Elon Musk’s recent behavior soured people on the brand? And finally, more A.I. news you may have missed.

Additional Reading:

• Google is chasing ChatGPT with the launch of Gemini.
• Even if people cancel their Cybertruck pre-orders, it could still be massively successful.
• A new A.I. development may help fight wine fraud.
• Amazon’s new enterprise chatbot had a “severe hallucinations” problem.
• OpenAI blocked a prompt that would cause ChatGPT to regurgitate its training data.
• Mountain Dew’s latest marketing stunt had an A.I. watching Twitch streams.

Warning: This episode contains some explicit language.

The drama at OpenAI is not over. Kevin and Casey take stock of new information they’ve gathered since last week, and look at how other artificial intelligence companies are trying to capitalize on the debacle. Then, why people are still buying cryptocurrency even after Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, and its founder pleaded guilty to money laundering violations. And finally, three ways A.I. is ruining web search. Or is it?

Today’s guest: David Yaffe-Bellany covers crypto for The New York Times.

Additional Reading:

Casey has new details from the OpenAI board fight.

Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder, agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down from his role as chief executive.

In yet another head-spinning twist at OpenAI, Sam Altman was reinstated as the company’s chief executive on Tuesday night, a mere five days after the OpenAI board had fired him. The board will be overhauled and a new set of directors, including Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers, will join.

Today, we discuss how Altman returned to the top seat — and whether the OpenAI news will ever slow down.

Additional Reading:

• Late Tuesday night, Sam Altman was reinstated as OpenAI’s chief executive.

Last week, we interviewed Sam Altman. Since then, well, everything has changed. The board of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, fired Altman as chief executive on Friday. Over the weekend, it looked as if he might return. On Sunday night, Microsoft hired Altman to lead a new A.I. venture. Who knows what will happen next.

Today, an update on a crazy weekend in tech, and our interview with Sam Altman.

Today’s Guest:

• Sam Altman is the former chief executive of OpenAI.

Additional Reading:

• On Sunday, Microsoft hired Sam Altman after OpenAI had fired him.
• Kevin breaks down the winners and losers from the OpenAI rift.

Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, was pushed out of the company by its board of directors on Friday. The news was a complete shock to much of the company’s employee base and to its largest corporate partner, Microsoft. Silicon Valley insiders are scrambling to get answers on exactly what happened and why the board’s decision seemed so abrupt. We rundown what we know and the many things we still don’t.

The tech start-up Humane launched a new device, an A.I. pin meant to be worn on our clothing. Might this be the device that replaces the iPhone? It’s the question on Silicon Valley’s mind. The pin allows users to take phone calls, catch up on messages and get answers to questions, all without ever looking at a screen.

Then, why YouTube is bucking the trend on deepfakes.

Plus: We eat a Thanksgiving meal made with meat that was grown in a lab.

Today’s Guest:

• Joshua March is the chief executive of SCiFi Foods, the lab-grown meat company.

Additional Reading:

• Humane says it’s artificial intelligence pin can replace screens. Is the pin the start of the next generation of hardware?
• Casey on YouTube’s latest approach to deepfakes.

Warning: this episode contains some explicit language.

OpenAI has unveiled a new way to build custom chatbots. Kevin shows off a few that he’s built – including a custom Hard Fork bot, and a bot that gives investment advice inspired by his late grandpa.

Then, we talk to Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, about the agency’s approach to regulating A.I., and whether the tactics she’s used to regulate big tech companies are working.

And finally, a Bored Ape Yacht Club event left some attendees' eyes burning, literally. That, and Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud conviction has us asking, how much damage hath the crypto world wrought?

Today’s guest:

• Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission

Additional reading:

• OpenAI’s new tools allow users to customize their own GPTs.
• Lina Khan believes A.I. disruption demands regulators take a different approach than that of the Web 2.0 era.

More than 20 people reported burning eye pain after a Bored Ape Yacht Club party in Hong Kong.