Today in Tech

David Liu, CEO of Sonde Health, shares insights on the future of health data tracking, emphasizing the explosion of health monitors by Big Tech. He discusses the benefits of voice analysis for mental and physical health, and the generational shift in attitudes towards personal health monitoring. Liu highlights the importance of local data processing for privacy and security, while also tackling ethical concerns and the risks of misuse. As health data becomes ubiquitous, he calls for transparency and responsibility from both consumers and tech companies.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft are all investing millions of dollars into nuclear power, driven by a need for more power for both data centers and artificial intelligence processing. RJ Bardsley joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this stories and other tech news from recent weeks, including the good/bad news week for SpaceX and Tesla robots, and whether the logistics industry really cares about the porch pirate epidemic.

Ramon Llamas, Research Director for mobile and AR/VR at IDC, shares his insights on the future of augmented reality glasses. He discusses the implications of Meta's Orion AR prototype and its impact on industry giants like Apple and Google. The conversation also delves into how AR can revolutionize training and practical uses across various sectors. Llamas highlights the balance between aesthetics and functionality while considering the consumer's demand for engaging content in AR technology.

A series of lawsuits by state attorneys general spells more bad news for TikTok, whose use of algorithms that help kids get addicted to the app is at the heart of many of these lawsuits. Guest co-host RJ Bardsley joins the show to discuss this story and others, including whether robotaxis will ever take off, the dangers and scariness of infrastructure hacking, and why we should all use an AI tool to help us apply for 30,000 jobs on LinkedIn.

A recent survey of large enterprises about their AI implementation shows that companies continue to be concerned about security (hallucinations, data leakage and privacy), a shortage of in-house expertise, and the lack of compliance and regulations in the space. Adnan Masood, Ph.D., chief architect for AI & Machine Learning, UST, chats with Keith about how companies can overcome some of these hurdles, and what might be on the horizon with new LLMs and AI models.

The old-school AI assistants are now evolving into fully fledged AI agents, which can perform more action-oriented tasks than just giving answers, thanks to perception tools, sensors and the use of large language models. Ritu Jyoti, GM and group vice president, AI and data, IDC, joins the show to discuss how AI agents represent the new phase of artificial intelligence for consumers and businesses moving forward.

Most companies exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence are focusing on the accuracy side of the technology, but there are still some useful ways that the creative side can benefit end users and companies. We’ll explore the current state of the art for creative AI endeavors with Mike Todasco, visiting fellow at the James Silberrad Brown Center for Artificial Intelligence at San Diego State University. Todasco is also an AI writer and advisor, and has conducted many different experiments using AI in the field of writing, image creation and song creations.

In our weekly technology news roundup, the Today in Tech crew chats about a report suggesting that demand for AI devices, hardware and servers will cause a global semiconductor and chip shortage. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show to discuss this and the potential rumors around Qualcomm and Intel merging, as well as Meta’s new AR/VR and AI offerings, and what’s going on with OpenAI and the potential for a Jony Ive-designed stand-alone generative AI device.

Some very high-profile headlines around the use of generative AI by lawyers, courtrooms banning the technology and concerns about the accuracy of results are giving many in the legal space a chance to re-evaluate whether the technology is beneficial. Ken Crutchfield, vice president and general manager of Legal Markets, Wolters Kluwer, chats with Keith about different ways lawyers are beginning to use generative AI tools, and whether we will see some innovative examples of the technology in the future.

In our weekly technology news roundup, the gang discusses Amazon’s new return-to-the-office mandate for a full five-day workweek, how OpenAI’s new ‘reasoning’ model is still producing some “fibbery”, and how companies keep trying to push new AR glasses on a skeptical market. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host to discuss these and other news items.