Hard Fork

This week, we take a field trip to Google and report back about everything the company announced at its biggest show of the year, Google I/O. Then, we sit down with Google DeepMind’s chief executive and co-founder, Demis Hassabis, to discuss what his A.I. lab is building, the future of education, and what life could look like in 2030. Guest: * Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chief executive of Google DeepMind Additional Reading: * At Google I/O, everything is changing and normal and scary and chill [https://www.platformer.news/google-io-2025-ai-everything-everywhere/] * Google Unveils A.I. Chatbot, Signaling a New Era for Search [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/technology/personaltech/google-ai-mode-search.html] * Google DeepMind C.E.O. Demis Hassabis on the Path From Chatbots to A.G.I. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/podcasts/google-deepmind-demis-hassabis.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The actor, comedian and author Ed Helms has a new book out about historical blunders. He swings by Hard Fork to tell us about it and answer your moral quandaries, ethical dilemmas and etiquette questions about technology: How do I tell my mom she can’t post about her grandkids on Facebook? Am I being an A.I. hypocrite at work? And is it OK to troll the scammers who blow up my cellphone? Guest: * Ed Helms, actor, podcaster [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-snafu-with-ed-helms-102539700/] and author of “Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ed-helms/snafu/9781538769478/]” Additional Reading: * Interview: Ed Helms on Historical Snafus and His Reading Life [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/books/review/ed-helms-snafu.html] * 7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/17/world/asia/myanmar-cyber-scam.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, iPhone users started to feel the impact of a stern court order against Apple that requires the company to stop collecting a commission on some app sales. We break down what this means for apps like Kindle and Spotify and why the judge suggested that Apple and a top executive should be investigated for criminal contempt. Then, Karen Hao joins us to discuss her new book about OpenAI and explain why she believes the benefits of using the company’s tools do not outweigh the moral costs. And finally, Casey introduces Kevin to a strange new universe of A.I. slop that’s racking up millions of likes on TikTok. Guest: * Karen Hao [https://karendhao.com/], Author of “Empire of AI” Additional Reading: * Judge Rebukes Apple and Orders It to Loosen Grip on App Store [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/technology/apple-epic-app-store-ruling.html] * Brain Rot Comes for Italy [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/style/italian-brain-rot-ballerina-cappuccina.html]   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week we dig into the ways chatbots are starting to manipulate us, including ChatGPT’s sycophantic update, Meta’s digital companionship turn and a secret experiment run on Reddit users. Then Kevin reports back from the unveiling of a new eye-scanning orb. And finally, we’re joined by PJ Vogt for a brand-new segment called Group Chat Chat. Tickets to “Hard Fork Live” on June 24 are sold out. You can join the wait list here [https://www.nytimes.com/events/hardforklive] to be alerted if additional tickets become available. Guest: * PJ Vogt, host of the podcast “Search Engine [https://www.searchengine.show/]” Additional Reading: * Meta’s ‘Digital Companions’ Will Talk Sex With Users — Even Children [https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-ai-chatbots-sex-a25311bf] * Reddit Issuing ‘Formal Legal Demands’ Against Researchers Who Conducted Secret A.I. Experiment on Users [https://www.404media.co/reddit-issuing-formal-legal-demands-against-researchers-who-conducted-secret-ai-experiment-on-users/] * The Group Chats That Changed America [https://www.semafor.com/article/04/27/2025/the-group-chats-that-changed-america] * The Ice Bucket Challenge Worked. Why Not Try It Again? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/style/ice-bucket-challenge-mental-health.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork]and TikTok. [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork] Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, with big developments in two antitrust cases against Google, we discuss how the company may be forced to change its business. Then we’re joined by the journalist Mark Yarm to discuss his recent visit to an underwater home for his article about techno-utopians who want to colonize the ocean. And finally, it’s tool time! We’ll tell you about our latest experiments with ChatGPT’s o3, Casey’s newest journaling practice and Kevin’s continued battle to get to inbox zero. Tickets to Hard Fork live [https://www.nytimes.com/events/hardforklive] are on sale! See us June 24 at SFJAZZ. Guest: * Mark Yarm [https://markyarm.journoportfolio.com/about-me/], an executive editor at PCMag and the author of “Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.” Additional Reading: * Google May Be on the Brink of a Breakup [https://www.platformer.news/google-antitrust-search-advertising-remedies/] * Google Is Illegally Monopolizing Online Advertising Tech, Judge Rules [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/technology/google-ad-tech-antitrust-ruling.html] * The Techno-Utopians Who Want to Colonize the Sea [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/magazine/seasteading-libertarian-ocean-living.html]   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.