California Regulates A.I. Companions + OpenAI Investigates Its Critics + The Hard Fork Review of Slop

Hard Fork

The New York Times

Technology

4.5 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Could this be a blueprint for the nation?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Casey, I heard the big news this week in tech is that Waymo is going to London.
0:05.1	You know, I saw that, and I thought British people are going to hate it.
0:10.9	I had a different question was, how are they going to teach you to drive on the other side of the road?
0:15.3	That's a very good question.
0:17.9	Just switch the software?
0:20.5	Go on the other side now. Everything you used to do, do it in reverse. That's switch the software. Go on the other side now.
0:21.7	Everything you used to do, do it in reverse.
0:23.8	That's like the autonomous vehicle equivalent of dark mode
0:26.8	is when you have to drive on the other side of the road, you know?
0:30.5	It's not available at launch, but eventually they bring it out.
0:33.1	Do you think they have to put the steering wheels that don't do anything on the other side of the car too?
0:36.9	Presumably.
0:37.3	Presum.
0:44.9	I'm Kevin Ruse, a tech columnist for the New York Times.
0:46.5	I'm Casey Newton from Platformer.
0:47.8	And this is Hard Fork.
0:51.5	This week, the first state law to regulate AI companions is here.
0:52.7	Will it be enough?
0:58.6	Then, OpenAI is waging legal battles against its critics, and code lawyer Nathan Calvin joins us to explain why the company served him with a subpoena.
1:02.2	And finally, it's time for the first ever hard fork review of Slop.
1:06.8	Grab your opera glasses, Kevin.
1:22.2	Well, Casey, it's been a big week for tech regulation in the state of California.
	...

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