Today in Tech

Elon Musk and other AI luminaries are calling for a 6-month pause on AI tool training so that the industry may better collaborate on design and development before the technology accelerates to infinity and beyond. Keith chats with Jason Mars, Ph. D., from the University of Michigan, about whether this is a good or bad idea.

Coming off the heels of an AI image of Donald Trump getting arrested, a fake image of the pope wearing a white puffy coat tricks many on the Internet. Keith and Chris discuss other tech news from the week, including the Twitter source code leak, what jobs may be in danger from ChatGPT, and why working-from-home exclusively might be going away at many companies.

Google finally launches its Bard AI app as an alternative to ChatGPT, while Microsoft continues to add more functionality to ChatGPT through Bing, all while others begin calling for regulation as more and more competitors appear. Keith and Chris discuss this, as well as additional layoffs in the tech space and research that proves that in-office engagement between employees is valuable. 

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in front of a hostile and united Congressional committee on Thursday, mostly failing to convince lawmakers that user data it collects from more than 150 million Americans is protected from the Chinese Communist Party. But in the end, there are doubts about whether the government can successfully ban the popular video-sharing application, and whether this hearing w...

Americans lost more than $10 billion in 2022 due to internet scams in 2022, a jump from $6.9 billion in 2021. Cryptocurrency and investment scams are now competing with ransomware, phishing, and other methods that criminals are utilizing to try and separate consumers from their money. We chat with Rob Holmes, founder of investigation firm MI:33, about the myriad ways that scammers, counterfeiters,...

Recent geopolitical events and other natural disasters in recent years have shown how reliant we are on electricity, and how vulnerable the power grid can be. Rebuilding the grid following a nightmare scenario such as an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack could take years, so preparation from an individual, town and regional basis can be key to accelerating recovery. We chat about this topic with...

While the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and other banks is mainly an economic story, it will have ripple effects on the technology industry, including startups and large enterprises. Additional topics this week include whether tech bros have become villains in Hollywood content, and how a new superconductor material could improve our electric future.

ChatGPT and other AI tools can create content that helps bad actors create better phishing emails or generate malware/ransomware code. But on the other side of the coin, the tools can better educate users about security threats, identify bugs and vulnerabilities on websites faster, and help researchers in their security efforts. We chat with Etay Maor, an adjunct professor at Boston College and in...

Growing evidence indicates that Facebook (Meta) is seemingly abandoning its metaverse aspirations as it chases ChatGPT and other AI technologies. Is this the death knell for the metaverse? Keith chats with Dan Roberts from Decrypt and Mike Mason from Thoughtworks about whether this concept has legs beyond “Meta”

Keith and Chris catch up on the tech news of the week, including how people are increasingly concerned over deepfake video and audio creeping into the 2024 election cycles, and whether media (traditional and social) can spot the fakes before they do significant damage. Also, TikTok executives woo European politicians in the face of potential bans of the video-sharing app.

With some pending lawsuits around copyright infringement and questions surrounding liability and ownership, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and others will need to navigate around some rough waters. Keith chats with AI expert Lisa Palmer about how the legal issues around these tools could play out. Guest: Lisa Palmer, chief strategist for AI Leaders, based in Broken Arrow, Okla.   Lisa C. Palm...

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) being deployed on the roads continues to escalate, but several challenges around battery technologies and electric grid infrastructures loom ahead. How will the world be able to meet the demand for these vehicles while also maintaining an affordable cost and not completely disrupt the power infrastructure? Keith talks with Nic Tat from Capgemini Invent about h...

Keith and Chris look at the tech news of the week, including continuing AI integrations into other apps; TikTok bans continue in Europe and Canada; and why other parts of the world are returning to offices compared with America.

Apple has stayed on the sidelines for a lot of the ChatGPT/AI tool gold rush of late, but could that change with an AI-boosted Siri? Keith chats with Computerworld’s Ken Mingis and Macworld’s Michael Simon about a bunch of Apple-related developments. 

Keith and Chris look at the tech news of the week about how old gadgets become bricks or valuable properties; the latest on how offices are redesigning themselves to look more like homes; and the effects of increased attacks on the power grid system. 

Keith chats with author Justin Bean, author of “What Could Go Right?” about how technology and society can work together for a better future instead of focusing on crisis, doom and gloom.

Recent missteps and misfires around AI-integrated search functionality by Google and Bing, along with other examples of bad behavior dominated the news this week. Are these bumps in the road or cause for real concern? Keith talks with Jason Mars, Ph. D., from the University of Michigan about the future of the AI technology. 

Technology tools such as Zoom and TikTok are causing employees to do some weird things as they return to the office; employers are looking to entice workers with mandatory ‘fun’ events, but this has many eyes rolling. Keith and Chris discuss the latest work trends affecting office culture.

As automakers continue to push new advances in autonomous vehicles, there are many potential potholes for consumers who expect a fully automatic, robot car. Keith talks with author Jason Torchinsky about some potential disasters on the road to full autonomy.

The increasingly easy methods for cloning someone’s voice creates security challenges, especially when combined with video deepfaking technology and ChatGPT-style generative AI. Are technologists thinking about the potential troubles this could create?

Google announced its ChatGPT rival, Bard A.I., which looks to be integrated into search engines in the same way that ChatGPT is being integrated by Microsoft into Bing. Keith chats with Alex Lawrence, Ph. D., a professor at Weber State University about these latest developments, as well as how students are embracing the tools to augment their learning in his classes.

There is additional evidence that technology that should have helped us during the Covid-19 pandemic likely did more harm than good. Keith and Chris discuss their frustration with collaboration software, educational learning platforms and Zoom fatigue.

The level of innovation occurring across the technology landscape is happening in small hops rather than large leaps. Keith talks with analyst Jack Gold about where technology can still be innovative to get people excited about new products that move us forward as society.

Wading through the testimony in the Senate hearing exploring the TicketMaster failure during the Taylor Swift presale, it becomes clear that it’s easier to blame ‘bots rather than innovate.

The pendulum of power is shifting back towards employers as tech layoffs, a softening economy and other office workplace and hiring trends hit the world of work.