Hard Fork

An episode unburdened by what has been.

Published: 26 July 2024

“The 2024 internet is just different than the internet we lived on four years ago.”

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2024

Answers to your moral quandaries, ethical dilemmas and etiquette questions about technology.

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2024

Ted Sarandos, a chief executive of Netflix, on the future of entertainment.

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2024

A little something for everyone: lawsuits, fighter jets and Casey in a bucket hat.

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2024

The Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms: Should Congress give his proposal a like? Then, former Stanford researcher Renée DiResta joins us to talk about her new book on modern propaganda and whether we are losing the war against disinformation. And finally, the Times reporter David Yaffe-Bellany stops by to tell us how crypto could reshape the 2024 elections.

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2024

“They really sort of make you feel like it’s Christmas and Coachella at the same time.”

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2024

It turns out A.I. is surprisingly Canadian.

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2024

“Pass me the nontoxic glue and a couple of rocks, because it’s time to whip up a meal with Google’s new A.I. Overviews.”

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2024

“Did you ever think we would have a literal Avenger fighting back against the relentless march of A.I.? Because that's sort of what this story is about.”

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2024

It’s been a week of A.I. vertigo - the feeling that we’ve been dragged five years into the future and aren’t sure what to do about it.

Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2024

They gave him notes on his outfits and reassurance before a big talk, and they shared made-up gossip about each other.

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2024

A synthetic chief executive, a bot trained on employees’ personalities, and a regular duel with ChatGPT — our listeners brought us their stories.

Transcribed - Published: 3 May 2024

“A clock is ticking on one of America’s most famous apps.”

Transcribed - Published: 26 April 2024

"I feel like we've been at the club. I need some water and some electrolytes."

Transcribed - Published: 19 April 2024

I’d rather not tell you what’s in this episode. It’s private.

Transcribed - Published: 12 April 2024

"I've always said if you have a ChatGPT subscription and a hose, you can get very far in this life.”

Transcribed - Published: 5 April 2024

“Being a CEO sucks. Elon was right. It is like looking into the abyss and chewing glass.”

Transcribed - Published: 29 March 2024

“We’ll see you in court.”

Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2024

Maybe go ahead and download your favorite TikToks.

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2024

Just when we thought the feud was cooling off, OpenAI pulled out the receipts.

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2024

We finally invited someone on the podcast who is meaner to Casey than Kevin is.

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2024

The mind behind DeepMind.

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2024

A special Valentine’s Day look back.

Transcribed - Published: 16 February 2024

Plus, more ancient scrolls deciphered using artificial intelligence, Google’s chatbot updates, and a fight between record labels and TikTok.

Transcribed - Published: 9 February 2024

Introducing DJ TaskRabbit.

Transcribed - Published: 2 February 2024

Strangely a lot of pro wrestling in this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 26 January 2024

“Two truly terrible ways to make money this week.”

Transcribed - Published: 19 January 2024

It’s a drugs episode.

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2024

“This is sort of the big kahuna.”

Transcribed - Published: 5 January 2024

Plus, a very special Hard Fork holiday surprise.

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2023

Looks like Google is on the naughty list this year.

Transcribed - Published: 15 December 2023

Like the Cybertruck, this podcast is also bulletproof.

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2023

It’s full steam ahead for the tech world despite, well, everything.

Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2023

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.

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2023

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.

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2023

“Probably the most shocking tech story of the year.”

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2023

The companies changing our phones, our media and our meat.

Transcribed - Published: 17 November 2023

“On this podcast, we’re automating the haters.”

Transcribed - Published: 10 November 2023

“It’s America, you can always sue.”

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2023

Dozens of state attorneys general have sued Meta, claiming the company knowingly created features that induce “extended, addictive and compulsive social media use” among teenagers and children. In a country without wide-reaching internet regulations, are lawsuits the way to reign in tech companies? Then, for our first episode on YouTube, we talk with the YouTuber and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee about how the platform has changed, and the future tech he’s excited about. And finally, artificial intelligence image generators are getting scary good. Casey tells us what he’s been using them for.

Transcribed - Published: 27 October 2023

A.I. models are black boxes. You input a prompt and the model outputs nearly anything: a sonnet, an image or a legal brief riddled with lies. Today, a look at three ways that researchers are unlocking that black box in hopes of bringing transparency to A.I. Then, Marc Andreessen’s techno-optimist manifesto has left us asking, Is he OK?! Plus: decoding a 2,000-year-old ancient scroll with the help of A.I.

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 2023

As the Israel-Hamas war broke out, misinformation and fake imagery surged on X, the platform formerly known at Twitter. Can Meta’s Threads fill the real-time news hole that X created? Should it? Then, Kevin debriefs us on his reporting on Manifold Markets, where Silicon Valley Rationalists bet on the likelihoods of different events. Plus: The company digitizing smell.

Transcribed - Published: 13 October 2023

The antitrust trial against Google has led to some of tech’s biggest players testifying in court, and things have gotten spicy. The New York Times reporter Cecilia Kang tells us the wildest moments in the trial so far. Then, A.I. is jumping off the screen and into your wardrobe. Has the personal assistant of the future finally arrived? Or a dystopian panopticon? Plus: happy first birthday, Hard Fork! Kevin and Casey share some lessons learned.

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2023

ChatGPT can now hear, see and speak — and that’s just the start of the deluge of A.I. news this week. Kevin and Casey unpack the lightning-speed updates. Then, Meta’s next-generation headset, Quest 3, is here. Is there still hope for the metaverse? And: An interview with a prompt engineer. Yes, that’s a real job.

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2023

Hey Bard, can you take a look at my Gmail and psychoanalyze me? Turns out, that’s not a question Google’s chatbot, Bard, can answer with any veracity despite new features that allow it to plug into your Gmail, Google Drive and more . Kevin and Casey on why Bard isn’t answering all their questions correctly — and why Google is OK with that. Then, the New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill on the dangers of facial recognition that are already here. Plus: GAMER TIME! Our new segment on the latest in gaming news.

Transcribed - Published: 22 September 2023

Is Google allowed to spend billions of dollars to make its search product the default browser? That is the question at the center of U.S. et al. v. Google — the most important tech trial of the modern internet era — and Kevin and Casey disagree on the answer. Then, a conversation with the journalist who spent the last two years shadowing Elon Musk.

Transcribed - Published: 15 September 2023

This week: How tech executives’ favorite place to take their pants off turned into a muddy hellscape. We talk to one executive who couldn’t just call a helicopter to escape. Then, Jonathan Greenblatt, C.E.O. of the Anti-Defamation League, on how his organization went from having a “productive” meeting with X’s C.E.O., Linda Yaccarino, last week to being threatened with a lawsuit by Elon Musk on Monday. Plus, Kevin and Casey answer your questions.

Transcribed - Published: 8 September 2023

A group of tech titans is gobbling up land north of San Francisco with aspirations to alleviate the Bay Area’s housing crisis, promote innovation, and experiment with new forms of governance. It’s not the first time ultra-wealthy people have tried to build the place of their dreams. Will this time be any different? Then, note-taking apps claim to make us smarter. Usually, they don’t. Casey Newton, a productivity cult member, on how A.I. could change that. Plus, Kevin and Casey play HatGPT.

Transcribed - Published: 1 September 2023

Are New York City’s new rules for short-term rentals like Airbnb effectively a ban? And will they accomplish what proponents want them to? Then, The New York Times tech reporter Erin Griffith on Silicon Valley’s mad dash for GPUs. And finally, we take stock of the A.I. songs of the summer and discuss YouTube and Universal Music Group’s plan to make synthetic voices profitable.

Transcribed - Published: 25 August 2023