Today in Tech

Apple finally enters the artificial intelligence space with its ‘personal intelligence’ tools – what does this mean for the market, competitors and, most importantly, users of Apple products? Will consumers who have been saying mostly ‘meh’ to AI now start using the tools? Computerworld’s Ken Mingis and Macworld’s Mike Simon join the show to discuss Apple’s AI announcements from WWDC 24, including what features they like best from the Apple Intelligence package.

Nvidia becomes a $3T company based on its latest AI chips (with Intel and AMD also in the game), leading the AI hype machine to go into overdrive. But at the same time, some are suggesting that the bubble is about to burst, and that AI investments may not pan out as users feel less enthusiastic. Computerworld contributing columnist and author Mike Elgan joins the show to discuss these and other technology news items from the past week.

While the technology job market remains vibrant and strong for many workers, people over the age of 50 are finding it more difficult to get a new job, or navigate past the layers of hiring with the institution of new AI screening tools. Keith talks with Christina Matz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Boston Collee School of Social Work and director of the Center on Aging & Work, about why age discrimination still exists within much of the corporate world, including in the tech sector.

Between having an AI tool that recommends crazy suggestions like putting glue on pizza and a “leak” around how its search engine works, Google is facing lots of criticism about its technology and operations. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show this week to talk with the crew about Google’s issues, why general consumers are saying ‘meh’ to AI tools, and why the American worker is lonelier at work than ever before.

As computing has developed over the past four decades, we increasingly see products designed to be more ‘disposable’ rather than upgradeable or made to last longer. However, there are still bright spots within the ecosystem that allow consumers to get more out of their devices or extend their life. Keith chats with Larry O’Connor, founder and CEO of Other World Computing, about these issues, as well as how improving speeds through cables and connectors enabled more external products such as storage (and why Keith needs to backup his data more often).

Big Tech companies trying to roll out new AI tools face some blowback in recent weeks, whether it was OpenAI using a Scarlett Johannson-like voice (without her permission or licensing) to tout new voice AI features; or Microsoft hyping a new feature that takes screen shots of your computer every few seconds; or Google proudly announcing that AI overviews and paid sponsors will bury search results even further. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the show as guest co-host with the crew to discuss these and other top technology stories from the week.

Four years after most workers began using video calls for meetings, workers are discovering that we are still not good with the technology. In addition, a new survey suggests that video calls cause anxiety and fatigue. Keith chats with Sylvia Johnson, head of methodology at Preply, about the survey and how we can ease the anxiety around video calls.

OpenAI launches a new AI model that lets users have voice conversations with ChatGPT, creating the world of ‘Her’. With rumors of Apple creating a “better Siri” at some point, are we getting to a world with better AI voice assistants? Guest co-host Chris Shaw joins the crew to discuss these topics and also news around autonomous vehicles making a comeback, why solar storms disrupted tractors in the Midwest, and whether people just don’t want to work anymore.

The onslaught of new artificial intelligence tools is causing burnout for many engineers, while another research paper suggests that AI will produce generic, bland content if humans don’t challenge the AI systems to be better. Also, Apple faces backlash for its ‘Crush’ ad promoting its new iPad, and TikTok heads to the courts to try and prevent its sale in the U.S. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the crew as guest co-host as they discuss these stories and other technology topics.

As businesses look to deploy artificial intelligence, many are concerned about making sure the systems are 100% accurate in their responses, and that ‘AI hallucinations’, where the system seems to make up answers, are eliminated. However, there are cases where AI hallucinations can be good for a business. Keith chats with Ryan Welsh, Field CTO for Generative AI at Qlik, about how companies can determine the right level of accuracy for their AI needs, and whether hallucinations are OK in certain situations.