“Hard Fork” is a show about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
The discussion centers on OpenAI's decision to introduce ads in ChatGPT and the ethical considerations of AI development, featuring Amanda Askell, a philosopher from Anthropic. The conversation explores the implications of integrating advertising into AI platforms, questioning whether it will compromise user experience...
The podcast explores the impact of social media on children's mental health, featuring Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, who presents new research addressing criticisms about correlation versus causation. Haidt argues that the evidence for social media's harmful effects is overwhelming, citing issues li...
The podcast explores the concept of the Fediverse as a potential solution to the problems of the centralized internet. It details an experiment where the hosts created their own Mastodon server called "Forkiverse" to test the possibilities of a decentralized social network. The discussion covers the history of the inte...
The podcast examines the controversy surrounding X's Grok chatbot generating sexualized images, particularly of women and children, and the platform's slow response to removing them. It highlights how this capability is being exploited publicly on X, often to harass and bully individuals. The discussion covers the mute...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roos and Casey Newton discuss their tech-related New Year's resolutions for 2026, revisiting their resolutions from the previous year. Casey reflects on his unsuccessful attempt to integrate AI into his meditation practice, while Kevin evaluates his goal to be more active and authent...
This episode of The Wirecutter Show features an interview with Kevin Roose, a tech columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the Hard Fork podcast. The discussion centers on the impact of AI on consumer products and shopping habits. Roose shares his personal experiences using various AI tools, including Perplexit...
In this episode of Hard Fork, hosts Kevin Roos and Casey Newton interview Sam Rodriques, CEO of FutureHouse and Edison Scientific, about the current state and future of AI in scientific research. Sam explains how his company is building an AI scientist called KOSMOS, which can accelerate scientific discovery by automat...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton discuss iRobot's bankruptcy with its co-founder, Colin Angle, who attributes the company's downfall to unfair competition from Chinese companies and misguided antitrust enforcement that blocked its acquisition by Amazon. They then transition to tech predictions...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Casey Newton and Kevin Russo discuss Australia's new law banning social media for those under 16, exploring the potential impacts and reactions from various stakeholders, including teens, platforms, and policymakers. They also discuss the environmental impact of AI, featuring Andy Masley, ...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton discuss the "code red" situation at OpenAI due to increasing competition from Google's Gemini 3 and Anthropic's Opus 4.5, which are challenging ChatGPT's dominance. They analyze the implications of these new AI models, including their speed, personalization, an...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roos and Casey Newton present their list of the 50 most iconic technologies of 2025. The countdown includes both serious and humorous selections, ranging from AI innovations like the Friend AI pendant, Cybertruck, and NanoBanana to more fundamental technologies such as the Constituti...
The podcast episode features an interview with Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, conducted by Lulu Garcia-Navarro. They discuss the challenges Wikipedia faces, including accusations of political bias, government pressures, and the rise of AI-generated content. Wales defends Wikipedia's commitment to neutrality ...
In this episode of Hard Fork, hosts Kevin and Casey interview Dave Baszucki, the CEO of Roblox, about the platform's approach to child safety and new age-gating policies. They discuss the challenges of moderating a platform with over 150 million daily active users, the use of AI in content moderation, and the balance b...
In a special episode of the Hard Fork podcast, hosts Kevin and Casey discuss the launch of Google's new AI model, Gemini 3, highlighting its improved capabilities in coding, reasoning, and interface generation. They note the AI industry's anticipation and potential competitive impact of Gemini 3, especially after Googl...
In this episode of Hard Fork, co-hosts Kevin Roos and Casey Newton explore the concept of building data centers in space, discussing Google's Project Suncatcher and the potential benefits and challenges of such an endeavor. They then interview Dean Ball, a former White House policy advisor, about the Trump administrati...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roos and Casey Newton discuss the rise of humanoid robots, focusing on the NEO robot by One X. They interview One X CEO Bernt Bornich about NEO's capabilities, data collection practices, and privacy considerations. The hosts then test a NEO robot in their office, discussing its funct...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Casey Newton and Kevin Roose discuss Character.AI's decision to bar minors from using its chatbot service due to potential harms, especially after a tragic incident involving a teenager. They explore the implications of this move, the broader issue of AI companions for young people, and th...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Casey Newton and Kevin Roose discuss the controversies surrounding OpenAI's Sora, including backlash from the Martin Luther King Jr. estate and Bryan Cranston over unauthorized deepfakes and copyright issues. They explore OpenAI's shifting policies and the broader implications of AI-genera...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton discuss California's new tech regulations, focusing on AI companion laws and their implications for companies like OpenAI. They analyze bills addressing self-harm detection, AI-generated content disclaimers, and protections for minors, while also examining Open...
In this episode of Hard Fork, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton discuss OpenAI's Dev Day, focusing on the announcement of apps coming to ChatGPT and the implications of OpenAI's platform strategy, drawing parallels to Facebook's past platform endeavors and raising privacy concerns. They also delve into OpenAI's significant ...
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