Hard Fork

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.

Kevin reports back from the A.I. Action Summit in Paris, where it was full speed ahead toward artificial general intelligence, with a conspicuous lack of action on the safety front. Also, Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re taking a look at A.I. on dating apps. First, our producer Rachel Cohn explains what happened when she applied all of the advice from Hinge’s new Prompt Feedback tool to her dating profile. Then, we’re joined by Hinge’s founder and C.E.O., Justin McLeod, to discuss how he thinks A.I. can help users find love.   Guests: Rachel Cohn, Hard Fork producer, writer of the newsletter “Are You My Boyfriend?” [https://areyoumyboyfriend.substack.com/] Justin McLeod, founder and C.E.O. of Hinge   Additional Reading: * Macron Pitches Lighter Regulation to Fuel A.I. Boom in Europe [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/business/ai-summit-paris.html] * Vance, in First Foreign Speech, Tells Europe That U.S. Will Dominate A.I. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/world/europe/vance-speech-paris-ai-summit.html] * When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/style/modern-love-when-cupid-is-a-prying-journalist.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’re joined by the Times reporter Jonathan Swan to discuss Elon Musk’s tech takeover of Washington, D.C. Then, Liz Pelly, author of a new book about Spotify, stops by to discuss “ghost musicians” and how Spotify’s algorithms are reshaping music culture. And finally — it’s Tool Time! We’ll tell you all about the new A.I. tools we’re using, plus the one that we wish existed. Guests:  * Jonathan Swan [https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-swan], a White House reporter for The New York Times * Liz Pelly [https://lizpelly.info/], author of “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist” Additional Reading:  * Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/musk-federal-government.html] * The Ghosts in the Machine [https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/] * ChatGPT's deep research might be the first good agent [https://www.platformer.news/chatgpt-deep-research-hands-on/] 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 go even deeper on DeepSeek. ChinaTalk's Jordan Schneider joins us to explain the Chinese A.I. industry and to break down the reaction inside of China to DeepSeek’s sudden success. Then … hello, Operator! We put OpenAI’s new agent software to the test. And finally, all aboard for another ride on the Hot Mess Express!   Guest: * Jordan Schneider [https://www.chinatalk.media/], founder and editor in chief of ChinaTalk   Additional Reading: * Why DeepSeek Could Change What Silicon Valley Believes About A.I. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/technology/china-deepseek-ai-silicon-valley.html] * OpenAI launches its agent [https://www.platformer.news/openai-operator-ai-agent-hands-on/] * Fable, a Book App, Makes Changes After Offensive A.I. Messages [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/us/fable-ai-books-racism.html] * Amazon Pauses Drone Deliveries After Aircraft Crashed in Rain [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-17/amazon-pauses-drone-deliveries-after-aircraft-crashed-in-rain]   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.

A Chinese firm called DeepSeek managed to upend global markets at the start of the week, to drag down chipmaker Nvidia — and to surge to No. 1 in the iPhone app store, all in basically no time at all. Today, in this bonus episode, we talk through the news behind the freakout. How is a new A.I. model from one Chinese A.I. company making such a big splash? And what does it mean for the U.S. artificial intelligence industry?   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.