Hard Fork

‘A.I.-Washing’ Layoffs? + Why L.L.M.s Can’t Write Well + Tokenmaxxing

This week, we start by talking about the new wave of tech layoffs at Atlassian and Block, as well as reports that Meta plans to cut up to 20 percent of its work force. This raises the question of whether A.I. job loss has truly begun, or if there are other factors at play. Then, we’re joined by the writer Jasmine Sun to talk about why chatbots are still so bad at creative writing. And finally, it’s tokenmaxxing time! Kevin takes us behind the scenes of his latest reporting about why tech companies are building leaderboards to measure who is using the most A.I.   Guest: * Jasmine Sun, journalist and writer at jasmi.news [https://jasmi.news]   Additional Reading: * I Worked for Block. Its A.I. Job Cuts Aren’t What They Seem. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/opinion/block-jack-dorsey-layoffs-ai.html] * Meta Planning Sweeping Layoffs as A.I. Costs Mount [https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/meta-planning-sweeping-layoffs-ai-costs-mount-2026-03-14/] * Meta Delays Rollout of New A.I. Model After Performance Concerns [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/technology/meta-avocado-ai-model-delayed.html] * The A.I.-Washing of Job Cuts Is Corrosive and Confusing [https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-03-13/the-ai-washing-of-job-cuts-is-corrosive-and-confusing] * The Human Skill That Eludes A.I. [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/ai-creative-writing/686418/]   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]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A.I. Goes to War + Is ‘A.I. Brain Fry’ Real? + How Grammarly Stole Casey’s Identity

A.I. is changing the ways war is waged. This week, we explore how the U.S. and Israel are using A.I. to identify targets in the conflict with Iran — and why data centers and fiber optic cables are targets on the front lines. Then, researcher Julie Bedard breaks down “A.I. brain fry,” a new condition she and her colleagues studied among A.I. users at work. And finally, Casey shares his battle with Grammarly after the company used his identity in a new A.I. feature, without his consent. Guest: * Julie Bedard, [https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/julie-bedard] managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group who is also the lead author of a survey of “A.I. brain fry” in the workplace [https://hbr.org/2026/03/when-using-ai-leads-to-brain-fry]. Additional Reading: * U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/us/politics/iran-school-missile-strike.html] * How A.I. Is Turbocharging the War in Iran [https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/how-ai-is-turbocharging-the-war-in-iran-aca59002] * Anthropic’s A.I. tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/04/anthropic-ai-iran-campaign/] * A.I. Fatigue Is Real and Nobody Talks About It [https://siddhantkhare.com/writing/ai-fatigue-is-real] * Token Anxiety [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/token-anxiety-nikunj-kothari-reu5c/] * A.I. Doesn’t Reduce Work — It Intensifies It [https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it] * Grammarly Is Using Our Identities Without Permission [https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/890921/grammarly-ai-expert-reviews]   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]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

OpenAI's Fog of War + Betting on Iran + Hard Fork Review of Slop

This week, the fallout continues as OpenAI scrambles to rework its deal with the Pentagon, while government agencies adapt to life without Claude. Then we break down the grim new reality of prediction market bets on the U.S.-Israel led war with Iran. Finally, it’s time for another edition of The Hard Fork Review of Slop. This time we’re joined by Arijeta Lajka, a New York Times reporter, to discuss her recent article about the short form A.I.-generated slop YouTube is feeding to young children. Guest: Arijeta Lajka [https://www.nytimes.com/by/arijeta-lajka], New York Times video journalist Additional Reading: * The Pentagon Officially Notifies Anthropic That It Is a ‘Supply Chain Risk’ [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/technology/anthropic-supply-chain-risk-defense-department.html] * OpenAI Amends A.I. Deal With the Pentagon  [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/technology/openai-pentagon-deal-amended-surveillance.html] * How Talks Between Anthropic and the Defense Dept. Fell Apart  [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/technology/anthropic-defense-dept-openai-talks.html] * How Anonymous Bettors Cashed In on the Iran Strike, Just Hours Before It Happened [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/upshot/prediction-markets-iran-strikes.html] * Israeli Army Reservists Are Suspected of Using Inside Knowledge to Bet [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/world/middleeast/israel-army-reservists-classified-information-bets.html] * How A.I.-Generated Videos Are Distorting Your Child’s YouTube Feed [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/ai-videos-children-youtube.html]   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the Pentagon, OpenAI is In and Anthropic Is Out

On Friday, President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s A.I. systems and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated the company a “supply chain risk.” Then, just a few hours later, the OpenAI chief executive, Sam Altman, announced that his company reached an agreement with the Pentagon. The deal ensures its technology won’t be used for the same two safety concerns Anthropic raised: domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. So what is going on? Is this a political vendetta between the Pentagon and Anthropic? Or are there substantive differences between the agreement Anthropic was offered and the one OpenAI signed? We cut through the confusion. Additional Reading: * OpenAI Reaches A.I. Agreement With Defense Dept. After Anthropic Clash [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html] * Trump Orders Government to Stop Using Anthropic After Pentagon Standoff [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/us/politics/anthropic-military-ai.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]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is A.I. Eating the Labor Market? + The Latest on the Pentagon, OpenClaw and Alpha School

This week, the economist Anton Korinek joins to break down how artificial intelligence is driving volatility in the job and stock markets. Then, the battle between the Pentagon and Anthropic is getting even more tense. Anthropic now has until 5:01 p.m. Eastern time on Friday to accept the military’s demands over the terms of a contract, or the Trump administration will retaliate by invoking the Defense Production Act and designating the company a “supply chain risk.” We discuss this change, as well as two other updates on OpenClaw and Alpha Schools. Guest: * Anton Korinek [https://www.korinek.com/], economist studying the impact of A.I., at the University of Virginia. Additional Reading: * Pentagon Gives A.I. Company an Ultimatum [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/us/politics/pentagon-anthropic.html] * Summer Yue’s OpenClaw post [https://x.com/summeryue0/status/2025774069124399363] * ‘Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs’: Inside an AI-Powered Private School [https://www.404media.co/students-are-being-treated-like-guinea-pigs-inside-an-ai-powered-private-school/] * Parents Fell in Love With Alpha School’s Promise. Then They Wanted Out [https://www.wired.com/story/ai-teacher-inside-alpha-school/] * The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis [https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic] * When Does Automating Research Produce Explosive Growth? [https://www.econtai.org/research/AutomatingResearch-2026-01-02.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]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.