Today in Tech

Keith and Chris discuss the recent cyberattack against MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, which had one company refusing to pay ransom while another one did. Dynamics of how the hackers were able to get into company systems were also disturbing. Also, we discuss the Google vs. DOJ antitrust trial, whether scientists need to meddle with asteroids, and whether people who work at home have insane energy when they venture out into the public.

Recent news and trends indicate continuing problems around generative AI, such as security issues, the ‘dumbening’ of the tech, cost problems; which leads us to wonder whether we are about to hit the proverbial ‘trough of disillusionment.’ Is this the case or are we just at another plateau, with more greatness to come? Keith speaks with Mike Mason from Thoughtworks and Nicholas Mattei from Tulane University about whether we have reached “Peak AI”.

The September launch event for the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 featured several small improvements in performance and features, as well as continued commitment to environmental sustainability. Keith chats with Macworld’s Michael Simon and Computerworld’s Ken Mingis about the highlights and lowlights from the event.

New research says that a weakening economy and consumers holding onto their phones for longer period are driving smartphone sales to decline to their lowest volume in a decade. Also, Keith and Chris discuss whether companies should disclose if they use AI to generate content, whether generations have different opinions on subscription loyalty, and whether self-checkouts at supermarkets needs to have rules of etiquette.

With the election cycle heating up for 2024, is there anything we can do to stop political deepfake images, video or audio from influencing voters’ minds? Or is it too late to put this genie back in the bottle? Keith chats with Matthew Write, a professor of computing security at RIT and a member of the DeFake Project, which aims to detect deepfakes and help journalists determine whether something is real or fake.

The old era of a heroic boss leading his team into ‘battle’ are long gone, given the exponential growth of disruption in the workplace. Keith chats with Ron Gutman, an adjunct professor at Stanford University and innovator on leadership issues, about how bosses and other company leaders need to adopt an anti-heroic persona.

The role of copyright law and Big Tech and the rights of content creators seem to be all heading towards legislation, regulations or court cases. Keith and Chris talk about this in context of Google/YouTube and their music deal with publishers; and whether Amazon used AI art in its new Fallout TV show. We also talk about good news for PC shipments, whether screens are causing myopia, and how AI is being used for good for stroke survivors.

Technology that can create artificial intelligent avatars of humans is now moving beyond just celebrities and politicians. Influencers, news anchors, college professors and even brand mascots may soon have AI avatars that can interact with customers. Keith chats with Joe Murphy, a technology evangelist with DeepBrain AI, about AI avatars and how they will change the world to help people get more done but also reach new audiences.

AI technology that can duplicate a person’s voice and likeness is not just a concern for Hollywood actors and Washington, D.C. politicians. The potential for people using AI avatars and other tools could affect everything from marketing professionals to the CEO. Chris Lavigne from Wistia joins the show to discuss how AI tools can help in video production, but also how employees need to better protect their digital likenesses.

Artificial intelligence and its effect on cybersecurity (both good and bad) was one of the hottest topics at the annual Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. Keith chats with security writer and editor Joan Goodchild about the biggest trends from the show.