Geek News Central Podcast (Video)

Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, pioneer of neural network AI, voices escalating fears about AI’s rapid development. In a CBS News interview, Hinton outlines growing risks, including a 10–20% chance AI could take over, enhanced cyberattacks, authoritarian misuse, and tech companies prioritizing profits over safety. Comparing AI to a dangerous tiger cub, he warns humanity may face an unpredictable and pe...

NASA and the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel are raising alarms about growing risks to the International Space Station due to structural damage, air leaks, and looming budget cuts. With SpaceX developing a deorbit vehicle, officials stress that the ISS may face an uncontrolled descent unless immediate funding and action are secured. Elon Musk’s call for an earlier deorbit adds urgency to thi...

Alphabet is back in court as the DOJ pushes to break up Google’s search empire, proposing divestiture of Chrome and restrictions on Android and AI use. The trial, overseen by Judge Amit Mehta, is the latest in a series of legal battles over Google’s online search and advertising dominance. Google warns that forced remedies would hurt consumers, stifle innovation, and pose national security r...

Tech stocks swung wildly as Trump reaffirmed global tariff plans, rattling markets after last week’s $1.8 trillion sell-off. Major players like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Nvidia closed higher despite early losses. Apple and Tesla ended in the red, while hopes of tariff delays briefly buoyed sentiment. Wall Street braced for a broader economic fallout, with corporate leaders warning of rising cost...

TSMC and Intel have reached a preliminary deal where TSMC will help operate Intel’s chip facilities and own a 20% stake in a new joint venture. The agreement, influenced by U.S. efforts to revitalize domestic chip production, may involve TSMC sharing manufacturing techniques and training Intel staff. While still in early stages, the move marks a surprising partnership between long-time rivals, dri...

OpenAI’s new image generator has gone viral with Studio Ghibli-style memes featuring public figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The tool, part of GPT-4o, allows users to recreate existing images in artistic styles, sparking copyright concerns about training on copyrighted works. Legal experts point out that while the style isn’t protected, how models are trained remains unclear. As lawsuits m...

In an extraordinary breach, a journalist was mistakenly included in a Signal group chat where top Trump officials coordinated upcoming military strikes on Yemen. Using Signal—a public messaging app—rather than burdensome government-secured systems suggests a deliberate choice to avoid painful legacy systems; unless something has changed, I do not think the app is approved for classified communicat...

Apple and Google are rebelling against the EU’s Digital Markets Act, claiming new interoperability and openness rules hurt consumers and innovation. The European Commission says these tech giants are abusing market dominance, with Google facing potential fines for favoring its services and restricting developer freedom. Apple is under pressure to make iOS more compatible with third-party devices....

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stranded on the ISS for nine months due to a Boeing Starliner malfunction, will return to Earth on Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Initially planned as a short trip, their extended stay required extra supplies. Their journey home, alongside two other crew members, will be broadcast live. -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support th...

OpenAI’s latest push for influence in Washington. With President Trump revoking Biden’s AI executive order, OpenAI is making its case for light regulations, copyright flexibility, and a stronger U.S. stance against Chinese AI competition. We’ll explore what this means for the future of AI development, government partnerships, and the ongoing legal battles over AI training data. -Thinking of buying...

A shocking new whistleblower complaint reveals that Meta, formerly Facebook, went to extreme lengths to gain access to the Chinese market, even agreeing to censorship demands from the Chinese Communist Party. According to former global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams, the company developed a censorship system, suppressed dissident voices, and planned to allow the CCP to oversee content moderat...

Today, we’re diving into a major policy paper co-authored by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, and AI safety expert Dan Hendrycks. They’re pushing back against the idea of a ‘Manhattan Project’ for artificial general intelligence (AGI), warning that an aggressive U.S. race for AI dominance could escalate global tensions—especially with China. Should America rethink its st...

Today, OpenAI unveils GPT-4.5, its newest AI language model, promising enhanced writing skills, better knowledge, and a more refined, human-like interaction. Despite impressive upgrades, OpenAI admits GPT-4.5 isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s optimized for more natural conversations, practical problem-solving, and reduced hallucinations. Available first to ChatGPT Pro users, it’s so...