Tech Gets Real

As a recent Wall Street Journal article demonstrates, many people in the United States think Europe’s online content rules amount to censorship that could affect them back in the US. But the Digital Services Act doesn’t do that – and the Trump administration’s efforts to force Europe’s hand are less about free speech than about promoting a far right agenda. Tech Gets Real is a show about staying i...

Conflict between Europe and the US is fast becoming likelier, as the Trump administration threatens to annex Denmark-owned Greenland. Journalist Dave Keating, author of The Owned Continent, joins TGR to discuss US tech’s domination of the EU and the impossible position in which Europe’s leaders now find themselves. The Owned Continent: https://theownedcontinent.eu/ Dave Keating’s Substack: https:/...

Big Tech used to love the idea of AI ethics, but the AI gold rush does strange things to incentives. Tech ethicist Mathana joins Tech Gets Real to discuss what went wrong and what – hopefully – comes next. This will probably be the last TGR of 2025. Happy holidays! If you like this video, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful. Please also consider subscri...

As Australia introduces its ban on under-16s accessing social media — including YouTube — we examine the emergence of the age-restricted internet in countries around the world. They’re supposed to protect kids from online harms, but do the restrictions actually work? And what effects do age verification measures such as AI-powered facial scanning have on adults? If you like this, please hit like a...

Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is out, with Google and Microsoft vet Amar Subramanya taking over many of his responsibilities. Here’s why Apple’s AI strategy should be all about thinking small, to play to the company’s privacy strengths. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful. Please also consider subscribing to my mailing list: https://...

The twisted nature of Elon Musk’s Grok AI shows how chatbots can be turned into tools of disinformation. But the tactics deployed by a Russian disinformation campaign called Pravda also point to a future where the “machine web” provides ways to push lies into AI models from beneath. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful. Please also cons...

The European Commission’s so-called Digital Omnibus would gut the GDPR, the EU’s tough online privacy law. Doing so would just be the latest example of capitulating to President Donald Trump and his Big Tech pals, including AI companies. Instead, Europe should be making sure it can break free of US tech and finally achieve digital sovereignty. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and s...

A leaked draft proposal shows the European Commission wants to remove key protections from the tough General Data Protection Regulation. The changes in the so-called Digital Omnibus would make it easier for AI companies to train their models on people’s personal data, even sensitive information like medical data. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might f...

The AI data centre boom is becoming a significant factor in water shortages and power outages, with the technology adding to the energy-grid stress caused by things like electric vehicles and air conditioning. With electricity demand soaring, solar and wind power are the best solutions for building out more capacity quickly. But AI’s thirst needs different solutions. If you like this, please hit l...

Europe has talked about “tech sovereignty” from America before, but Donald Trump’s second term has made the issue an urgent one. Luckily, a time of massive flux in the tech industry has made it more viable than ever for the EU to declare independence from the US. Tech Gets Real is a show about staying in control in a time of rapid technological change. I'm veteran tech journalist David Meyer, and...

The AI bubble is real – even Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos say so – and it’s already affecting you, because fear of the bubble bursting is leading companies to shove AI down your throat. And when it does burst, things will get ugly. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful. Tech Gets Real is a show about staying in control in a time of rapid te...

We’ve all seen our social media feeds and the wider web getting taken over by AI fakes, from writing to images and video. It’s a cynical waste of our time — and it could destroy what’s left of public discourse. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful. Tech Gets Real is a show about staying in control in a time of rapid technological change...

I'm no AI hater, but I do know AI's limits - and you should too. In this episode of Tech Gets Real, I dig into 3 major pitfalls that people encounter when they use AI today. If you like this, please share it with others who might find it useful. To contact me, please email david@techgetsreal.com or connect on: Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/superglaze.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.socia...

AIs are increasingly used to make decisions that have major impacts on people's lives. In this episode of Tech Gets Real, veteran technology journalist David Meyer discusses the risks, and the ways in which we can take back control. To contact David, please email david@techgetsreal.com or connect on: Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/superglaze.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@supergl...

In the first episode of Tech Gets Real, veteran technology journalist David Meyer explores the risks of over-sharing with AI chatbots. As always, he avoids technical jargon and gives useful recommendations for staying in control in the AI era. To contact David, please email david@techgetsreal.com or connect on: Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/superglaze.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.soci...