Tech News Weekly (Audio)

Dan Moren, East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors and a tech podcast host, breaks down the latest news in tech. He discusses the Department of Justice's win over Google regarding antitrust issues in ad tech. OpenAI's intriguing move to create its own social network is analyzed, pondering its motivations. The episode also touches on Mark Zuckerberg's negotiations with the FTC surrounding Meta's challenges. Additionally, ChatGPT's new AI models perform fascinating 'reverse location searches' using images, showcasing the intersection of tech and privacy.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a smart home device reviewer at The Verge, dives into Samsung's long-awaited Ballie robot, set for release this summer. Amanda Silberling from TechCrunch shares a hilarious story about a Waymo robotaxi getting stuck in a Chick-fil-A drive-through, showcasing the quirks of self-driving tech. They also discuss the revival of Digg.com and lament Apple's struggles with Siri's AI makeover, shedding light on the challenges of tech upgrades and user expectations.

Kyle Orland, a reporter from Ars Technica, shares his insights on the newly unveiled Nintendo Switch 2, discussing its advanced features and pricing strategy. He dives into the challenges of combating scalping and the hype surrounding its game lineup. The conversation also touches on Amazon's bold move to acquire TikTok amid recent legal challenges, while Abrar Al-Heet from CNET provides updates on Amazon's Alexa+ capabilities. Finally, the group explores how AI is transforming the education landscape with tools like ChatGPT-EDU and Claude.

Some alternatives to Teslas. A law in Utah makes app stores rather than companies responsible for age verification. 23andMe files for bankruptcy. And OpenAI is following in the footsteps of its rival, Anthropic. Emily Forlini of PCMag joins Mikah Sargent this week! Emily talks about some alternatives to Teslas that cover various price ranges. Mikah talks about a new law passed in Utah that pushes the responsibility of age verification from tech companies to app stores. Geoffrey Fowler of The Washington Post joins Mikah to talk about 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, why you should swiftly delete your DNA information from the company, and shares how you can delete that information. And OpenAI is following Anthropic in adopting the company's standard for connecting AI models to data. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Geoffrey Fowler 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: get.stash.com/tnw veeam.com bitwarden.com/twit

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a tech journalist from The Verge, shares her take on iRobot's latest Roombas, criticizing their lack of innovation. Jason Howell, a tech expert, dives into the features of the new Google Pixel 9a, highlighting its competitiveness in the mid-range market. They also discuss Amazon's new privacy measures for Alexa devices, addressing growing concerns over data handling. Lastly, the nostalgic revival of Pebble watches garners attention, showcasing their customizable options and potential smart home integration.

Does OpenAI have the capability for creative writing? Would you want to be coached in gaming through AI? What is Apple planning for its possible operating system redesign? And does AI have inconsistencies when providing the correct information to search queries? Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week. Amanda talks about OpenAI and Sam Altman's social media post about how OpenAI is good at creative writing. Mikah talks about Microsoft's plan to launch Xbox Copilot, an AI-powered gaming assistant that can offer tips, guides, and information about the games you are playing. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg stops by to talk about Apple's plans to dramatically overhaul the look of its operating systems with the next iterations of iOS, iPadOS, and Mac OS. And Mikah talks about a study from the Tao Center and how AI systems are frequently providing incorrect information and citations from various sources and news articles. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Mark Gurman 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.com uscloud.com get.stash.com/macbreak zscaler.com/security

There was something in the air for sure as Apple released updates to the iPad and iPad Air, alongside the M4 MacBook Air and Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M4 Ultra chips. Some of the exciting and interesting devices shown at the Mobile World Congress 2025 event. The recent iOS 18.4 beta introduced AI-powered summaries in the App Store. And Prime Video is testing AI-powered dubbing for some of its video content. Dan Moren of SixColors joins Mikah Sargent to talk about the new devices announced throughout the week: the updated iPad and iPad Air, MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and the Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. Patrick Holland of CNET stops by to share with Mikah some of the new and exciting devices that came out of the Mobile World Congress 2025 event, alongside the more interesting concepts and gadgets from the event. Mikah talks about the the latest iOS 18.4 beta that is out now and how it has introduced AI-powered review summaries in the App Store. And continuning the trend of AI-powered features, Amazon's Prime Video is testing AI-powered dubbing for some of its select videos in English and Spanish. Host: Mikah Sargent Guests: Dan Moren and Patrick Holland 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com cachefly.com/twit

Anthropic's Claude AI is now playing Pokemon through Twitch - albeit slowly. Emily Forlini was at the Amazon event this past week and talks about Alexa+ that was announced at the event. And Framework announced a new desktop PC, but did Framework really need to get into the PC desktop space? Mikah Sargent talks about how Anthropic's Claude AI is being utilized to play Pokemon Red through Twitch. Emily Forlini attended Amazon's February 2025 Devices & Services event in New York and talks about Alexa+ which was announced at the event, and what could possibly happen to Amazon Prime when Alexa+ starts to roll out to users in the coming weeks. And Sean Hollister from The Verge talks about Framework's first foray into a desktop PC. He spent some time with the PC and shares his thoughts on it! Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Sean Hollister 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.com get.stash.com/tnw zscaler.com/security

Zac Hall, a 9to5Mac reporter known for his insights on Apple, discusses the launch of the iPhone 16e, highlighting its modern features like Face ID and the powerful A18 chip. Scott Stein from CNET shares his experience reviewing the Humane AI Pin, detailing its impending end and the frustrations users face over refunds. The conversation also touches on NVIDIA's innovative AI platform designed to enhance American Sign Language learning, offering real-time feedback to improve communication in the deaf community.

It's an AI-filled episode of Tech News Weekly! Is AI making us think less critically than before? Are AI chatbots accurately summarizing news? A BBC study finds that they are not. Google plans to use machine learning to estimate a user's age. Thomson Reuters wins the first major AI copyright case within the US. Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week! Amanda talks about a study on how over-reliance on AI tools can lead to diminished critical thinking skills. Mikah shares a BBC study that looked into AI chatbots and how they performed poorly at summarizing news, with over half of the summarizations containing glaring errors. Emma Roth of The Verge joins the show to discuss Google utilizing machine learning to estimate users' ages based off their browsing history and YouTube activity. And Mikah talks about Thomson Reuters winning the first big US AI copyright case. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Emma Roth 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 shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security veeam.com cachefly.com/twit