Hard Fork

With all of Silicon Valley weighing in on the Trump administration’s new action plan for artificial intelligence, Kevin and Casey break down what’s on everybody’s wish list. Then, a Columbia undergrad explains why he built a tool that lets coders use A.I. to cheat on job interviews. And finally, we climb aboard the Hot Mess Express to talk Solana’s anti-woke ad, anxious A.I. algorithms and Slack spycraft in the world of H.R.   Guest: * Roy Lee, Columbia sophomore and founder of Interview Coder [https://www.interviewcoder.co/]   Additional Reading: * America Crafts an A.I. Action Plan [https://www.platformer.news/ai-action-plan-submissions-meta-google-openai-anthropic/] * Meet the 21-Year-Old Helping Coders Use A.I. to Cheat in Google and Other Tech Job Interviews [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/09/google-ai-interview-coder-cheat.html] * Solana Pulls Ad After Huge Backlash [https://sherwood.news/crypto/solana-pulls-ad-after-huge-backlash/] * Digital Therapists Get Stressed Too, Study Finds [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/science/chatgpt-digital-therapists-anxiety.html] * Rippling Sues Deel, a Software Rival, Over Corporate Spying [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/business/dealbook/rippling-deel-corporate-spy.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, as the long-promised new Siri faces increasing delays, we explore why Apple seems to be falling even further behind in artificial intelligence. Then, the New York Times reporter Adam Satariano joins us to explain how Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink took over the world. And finally, we look at a new study that asks: Is A.I. eroding our critical thinking skills?   Guest: * Adam Satariano [https://www.nytimes.com/by/adam-satariano], New York Times reporter   Additional Reading: * Apple Delays Siri Upgrade Indefinitely as AI Concerns Escalate  [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-07/apple-confirms-delay-of-ai-infused-personalized-siri-assistant] * With Starlink, Elon Musk’s Satellite Dominance Is Raising Global Alarms [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/28/business/starlink.html] * The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lee_2025_ai_critical_thinking_survey.pdf]   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, Google introduced a new way to search, which could mean that Googling as we know it is on the way out. It’s called AI Mode and it is essentially the company’s response to the growing number of people turning to A.I. chat bots instead of Google search. We walk through what this new product looks like, who can use it and what it could mean for the internet’s future. Then, we talk with the New York Times crypto reporter David Yaffe-Bellany about President Trump’s recent announcement concerning a national crypto reserve and why the news upset some of the biggest crypto advocates. Finally, we react to voice mail from listeners describing the tools they’ve vibecoded.   Guest:  * David Yaffe-Bellany [https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-yaffe-bellany], New York Times reporter covering the crypto industry.   Additional Reading:  * Trump Faces Blowback Over Plans for Crypto Reserve [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/business/dealbook/trump-crypto-bitcoin-reserve.html] * Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/technology/personaltech/vibecoding-ai-software-programming.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, Anthropic’s C.E.O., Dario Amodei, returns to the show for a candid, wide-ranging interview. We discuss Anthropic’s brand-new Claude 3.7 Sonnet model, the A.I. arms race against China, and his hopes and fears for this technology over the next two years. Then, we gather up recent tech stories, put them into a hat and close out the week with a round of HatGPT.   Guest: * Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic   Additional Reading: * Inside the White-Hot Center of A.I. Doomerism [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/technology/anthropic-ai-claude-chatbot.html] * Machines of Loving Grace [https://darioamodei.com/machines-of-loving-grace] * Apple Removes Cloud Encryption Feature From U.K. After Backdoor Order [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-21/apple-removes-end-to-end-encryption-feature-from-uk-after-backdoor-order]   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, Elon Musk brought a new chatbot into the crowded A.I. universe — Grok 3, the latest model from his company xAI. We break down how it compares with other leading models and what it reveals about Musk’s larger ambitions. Then, Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of the investing platform Robinhood, lays out his vision for the future of investing and fields some difficult questions about his company’s role in fueling a culture of risky financial speculation. Finally, Kevin revisits his high school coding era and tries to make Casey a new software tool, with an A.I. assist.   Guest: * Vlad Tenev [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlad-tenev-7037591b/], chief executive of Robinhood and co-founder of Harmonic.   Additional Reading: * There Are Probably Too Many A.I. Companies Now [https://www.platformer.news/too-many-ai-companies/] * An Investing Revolution Is Coming. The U.S. Isn’t Ready for It. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/01/28/investing-crypto-tech-robinhood-stock-market/] * Is Math the Path to Chatbots That Don’t Make Stuff Up? [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/technology/ai-chatbots-chatgpt-math.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.