The Fight Tearing Apart Silicon Valley

The Fight Tearing Apart Silicon Valley

For years, a debate has been simmering in Silicon Valley over the right way to build artificial intelligence. Should it be open and free for anyone to use, or should we tightly control how it’s made and who can access it? Mike Isaac, who covers technology for The New York Times, explains why the release of two Chinese models pushed that debate to a boiling point this week, and how it could end up reshaping the future of A.I. Guest: Mike Isaac [https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isaac], a New York Times reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering tech companies and Silicon Valley. Background reading:  * Silicon Valley splits [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/technology/open-source-silicon-valley-china.html] over closing the borders to Chinese A.I. * What is open-weights A.I.? [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/technology/open-weight-ai.html] Photo: Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Europe Is Burning

This summer, wildfires have been raging across Europe. France and Spain have been hit particularly badly, with hundreds of thousands of acres incinerated and entire communities devastated. Chico Harlan, the global climate correspondent for The New York Times, and Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief, explain how much the continent may need to adapt to climate change. Guest: * Chico Harlan [https://www.nytimes.com/by/chico-harlan], the global climate correspondent for The New York Times, covering the changing planet. * Mark Landler [https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-landler], the Paris bureau chief of The New York Times, covering France, trans-Atlantic relations and the future of Europe. Background reading:  * Europe’s summer of reckoning is “just the beginning.” [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/world/europe/summer-heat-wave-fires-climate-change.html] * The fires in France and Spain have been breaking modern records [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/28/world/europe/france-spain-wildfires-2026-fire-season.html]. Photo: Baz Ratner/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Israel, AIPAC and Difficult Questions for Democrats

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group known as AIPAC, has spent a record amount of money in this year’s midterm elections to either oust or support candidates based on their support of Israel. Jonathan Mahler, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, discusses the new litmus test for the left at a time when the United States’ relationship with Israel is under scrutiny. Guest: Jonathan Mahler [https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-mahler], a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine covering a wide range of topics, including politics, entertainment, education, media, the law and sports. Background reading:  * AIPAC wants Democrats to back Israel. Instead, they’re turning on the group [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/magazine/aipac-democrats-israel.html]. Photo: Cheriss May/Sipa, via Associated Press Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The Iranians Who Want More War

Fractures in Tehran are pitting a faction favoring negotiation with Washington against hard-liners who oppose making a deal with the United States.  Guest: * Abdi Latif Dahir [https://www.nytimes.com/by/abdi-latif-dahir], a Middle East correspondent for The New York Times, covering Lebanon and Syria. * Farnaz Fassihi [https://www.nytimes.com/by/farnaz-fassihi], the United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times. She also covers Iran and how countries around the world deal with conflicts in the Middle East. Background reading:  * What a journey through wartime Iran [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/world/middleeast/iran-war-journey-scars.html] revealed. * Divisions festered within Iran [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/world/middleeast/iran-divisions-us-leaders.html] over talks with the United States. Photo: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

What A.I. Is Actually Doing to the Economy

As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, people are getting more nervous about how it could change the economy and their jobs. Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains why A.I.’s impact is so hard to pin down and what we can learn from the tech disruptions of the past. Guest: Ben Casselman [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-casselman], the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Ben Casselman [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-casselman], the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times. Photo: George Wylesol For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.