Tech News Weekly (Audio)

TNW 459: Apple's Smart Home Reset - Apple's New Take on Smart Home Devices

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:15:00 PDT

Apple recently unveiled its Apple HomeView, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy got a first-hand look at Apple's foray into the smart home market! Apple also unveiled its Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2. And some US states have filed lawsuits against OpenAI.

Jennifer shares her hands-on impressions of Apple's HomeView, the company's first smart display that she describes as a cross between a HomePod mini and a giant Apple Watch. She also talks about how the device uses Siri AI and facial recognition to show different calendars and messages for different users.
Also, Apple unveiled a new Apple TV 4k at a $299 price point, and a new lineup of what they call the Apple Home Collection of LG and Schneider smart home accessories as part of its Smart Home lineup.
And Mikah talks about how eight US states have filed lawsuits against OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT was built to be easily agreeable and to feign human compassion in ways that can harm users.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

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TNW 458: Congress Takes Aim at Flock - Why AI Agents Look & Feel Inviting

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:15:00 PDT

Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on this week's episode of Tech News Weekly! Common Sense Media labels ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk." AI agents from companies such as Meta and OpenAI are "cute washing" to make them feel friendlier. A federal judge ruled a Flock license plate search unconstitutional. And organs-on-chips, simulations, and AI models are starting to replace animal testing.

Amanda talks about Common Sense Media's labeling of ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk", as its friend-like design, engagement incentives, and rarely appearing "take a break" prompts can keep teens talking to a chatbot instead of a trusted adult.
Mikah shares an article from Fast Company's Grace Snelling, who coined the term "cute washing" for how SpaceX AI's Grokbot, Meta's Muse, and OpenAI's Dot all use big eyes and soft shapes to make autonomous AI agents feel friendly.
Jason Koebler of 404 Media joins the show to discuss the first federal ruling to call an automated license plate reader search unconstitutional, and explains how Flock's network of more than 100,000 cameras feeds federal programs like HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area).
And Mikah explains how organs-on-chips, computer simulations, and AI models are beginning to replace animal testing as regulators like the FDA shift their rules, as noted by IEEE Spectrum's Brandon Kim.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guest: Jason Koebler

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TNW 457: Are AI Models a Risk to Humanity? - Apple's Rumored Smart Display

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:30:00 PDT

Abrar Al-Heeti is guest-hosting this episode of Tech News Weekly and is joined by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy for the first half of the show! Apple's smart home display could be closer than we think. Is the iPhone Duo going to be for most consumers? Are there too many satellites in orbit? And a leaked IPO filing from Anthropic shows concerns within the company that its AI models pose a risk to humanity.

Jennifer breaks down Mark Gurman's reporting that Apple's long-rumored smart home display could be announced as early as October 13, and shares specs of the device, including a 6-inch screen, an iMac G4-style design, and a price point between $250-$350.
Abrar wrote a piece for CNET about how she thinks that Apple's $2,000 iPhone Duo is not going to be for everyone and how foldable phones will be a niche market for some time.
Senior Writer Joe Supan of CNET joins the show to talk about space junk and how, since satellite launches have exploded since 2019, a cascade of collisions within low Earth orbit is of concern.
And CNN's Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco talks about a leaked IPO report from Anthropic that shows concerns and risks with its AI models to the human race.

Hosts: Abrar Al-Heeti and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guests: Joe Supan and Lisa Eadicicco

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TNW 456: Meta VR: Quest Gets a Glow-Up - Meta VR Glasses

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:00:00 PDT

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show this week! Meta's Muse has a zero-day vulnerability. Rat brains can power an AI model? Why are we hearing more about AI agents escaping their testing environments? And Meta's new VR glasses.

Dan talks about a new zero-day exploit that affects Meta's Muse AI agent, which allows an app or terminal command that can impersonate the AI agent and easily gain access to users' messages, emails, and other sensitive data.
Mikah is amazed at the Biological Computing Company's new AI video model that was built from patterns utilizing lab-grown rat neurons.
Mikah walks through The Verge's report on why researchers can't simply air-gap AI agents that keep escaping test environments and hitting real-world targets.
And Scott Stein of CNET joins the show live from Meta's Headquarters to share his hands-on impressions of Meta's new VR glasses that were unveiled at this year's Meta Connect event.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Scott Stein

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TNW 455: The Trouble With "Health Age" - Wearables, Metrics, and the Truth About Your Well-Being

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:00:00 PDT

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show this week! AI-generated "news" sites. Are "health age" scores helpful, or harmful? Google Home now supports the Model Context Protocol. And Apple unveils a new photo verification technology for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Mikah shares a story about Futurism's investigation into Brown Brothers Media reveals a network of AI-generated "news" sites - complete with fabricated writer personas and stolen bylines.
Victoria Song of The Verge joins the show to explain why "health age" scores from wearables like Whoop, Oura, and now Apple Watch are wildly inconsistent proprietary metrics that can fuel unnecessary shame or false confidence about your health.
Jennifer discusses Google Home's new MCP support and makes the case that what smart homes really need is a dedicated, on-device "smart home computer" rather than more cloud-dependent AI.
And Mikah talks about Apple's Reference Image feature for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which aims to verify photo authenticity straight from the camera sensor, an approach the company says avoids the privacy and security pitfalls of industry standards like C2PA.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Victoria Song

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TNW 454: Apple's New iPhone Duo - Apple Event Recap & Anthropic AI Alarms

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:40:00 PDT

Jacob Ward explores the resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher and mounting alarms over AI's potential dangers, while Dan Moren recaps Apple's major iPhone event, new hardware, and controversial AI-powered features.

AI researcher Jacob Coxon quits Anthropic, warning the company is "gambling with our lives," an admission echoed by Anthropic's own AI safety leads, as calls for regulation grow louder inside the industry.
Apple's iPhone event marks the start of the John Ternus era as CEO, with Tim Cook stepping up to executive chairman and handing off the spotlight at a packed launch.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 launch with advanced health sensors and Apple Intelligence-powered "Live Rewind" transcription features, raising questions about privacy, surveillance, and brand identity.
Apple finally unveils the iPhone Duo foldable, with a redesigned interface for multitasking and new workflows, aiming to set the standard for premium foldables as pricing and developer adaptation come under scrutiny.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward

Guest: Dan Moren

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TNW 453: Scammers Cash In on GTA 6 - Why Cybercriminals Strike Fast When Hype Is High

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:20:00 PDT

Apple enters the John Ternus era as he becomes CEO ahead of the anticipated iPhone event, a climate scientist exposes the real energy costs of AI use, a bezel-free concept phone debuts at IFA, and Malwarebytes warns GTA fans about dangerous fake "GTA 6 Extended Look" downloads.

Apple kicks off the John Ternus era as CEO, just ahead of a much-anticipated iPhone event—facing challenges in AI, manufacturing, regulation, and the ever-present rumor of a foldable iPhone.
A climate scientist's 8-week experiment spotlights how much energy AI actually burns, showing prompt-based measurements miss the real environmental impact of today's intensive tools.
Tecno unveils Bezelless - a bezel-less concept phone at IFA, as anticipation builds for Apple's rumored border-free iPhone.
Chris Fistonich from Malwarebytes joins to warn about fake GTA 6 sites delivering info-stealing malware to unsuspecting gamers.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guest: Chris Fistonich

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TNW 452: Meta's $18B Social Media Settlement - What This Means for Kids & Social Media

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:45:00 PDT

Meta pays up in a landmark teen safety settlement & establishes new online safety measures for teens, Raspberry Pi goes official on the cyberdeck craze, and looking at what Apple unveiled earlier this week & looking ahead to Apple's September event.

Meta settled a lawsuit with over 47 states and territories over harms to teens, agreeing to independently tested age verification, daily time limits, notification restrictions, and parental alerts on Instagram and Facebook.
Raspberry Pi is getting in on the cyberdeck craze as the company published an official cyberdeck tutorial with a parts list and build instructions.
And D. Griffin Jones joins the show to talk about Apple's updates to its Mac mini and Mac Studio, and what the expectations may be for its "Surprise and Shine" September event.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: D. Griffin Jones

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TNW 451: AI Is Eating Rare Books - Rare Books Gutted for AI Training

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:00:00 PDT

Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET joins the show to talk about her review of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, Meta's smart glasses are slowly becoming a concern in the workplace, and Amazon is destroying rare books & utilizing them as AI training data.

Abrar Al-Heeti shares her review of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, noting how foldables have become nearly indistinguishable in size from standard phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and shares a look at its camera, battery, and new software features like Pause Point.
Mikah shares an article published by The Verge that looks into how retail workers, tourism employees, and comedians describe being secretly recorded by Meta Ray-Ban wearers on the job.
And 404 Media's Emanuel Maiberg joins the show to share his investigation into Amazon buying and shredding rare, out-of-print books to scan them as AI training data, and how a legal ruling in Anthropic's book-piracy case made destroying the originals advantageous.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guest: Emanuel Maiberg

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TNW 450: Amazon Training AI Models on Twitch Streamers - Streamers's Content Training Amazon's AI's

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:30:00 PDT

Jacob Ward is guest-hosting this week, and Amanda Silberling joins Jacob for the first half of the show! Amazon is using Twitch streamers to train its generative AI models. The EU's Transparency Code now requires tech companies to label AI-generated content. The Bay Area's AI wealth isn't affecting all cities. And security experts express concerns following an OpenAI model's hack on Hugging Face.

Twitch is beginning to use creators' content on the platform to help train generative AI models for its parent company, Amazon. Even though streamers can opt out of having their content used, it's still sparking backlash from the community over deepfake concerns.
The EU's Transparency Code is quietly pushing tech companies to label AI-generated content, with Jacob Ward drawing a parallel to how regulators once mandated adding a smell to odorless natural gas to make leaks detectable.
Reporter Adam Rogers joins the show to discuss why Bay Area AI wealth isn't translating into the civic investment, jobs, or economic ripple effects seen in past tech booms
And reporter Sharon Goldman from Ground Level AI stops by to share reactions from security experts about the OpenAI agent that breached Hugging Face during her recent trip to the Black Hat security conference.

Hosts: Jacob Ward and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Adam Rogers and Sharon Goldman

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TNW 449: Explaining the SpaceX Moon Crash - Why a SpaceX Rocket Collided Into the Moon

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:30:00 PDT

Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show. A newly disclosed flaw was discovered in Apple's iCloud Private Relay. What is the phenomenon, "spiralism," and its ties to AI chatbots? Apple's Siri AI finally makes its way into the iOS 27 beta. And a SpaceX rocket impacted the Moon, but is it as big a deal as the headlines are making it?

Apple's iCloud Private Relay has a newly disclosed flaw that can leak users' real IP addresses via passkey authentication, marking the second privacy-feature vulnerability found in iCloud+ in as many months.
A bizarre phenomenon called "spiralism" saw thousands of people across different AI chatbots independently arrive at eerily similar mystical "spiral" doctrine and recruitment language, likely a byproduct of shared training data and LLM patterns.
Apple's long-awaited Siri AI update has finally landed in the iOS 27 beta and mostly delivers on its promises, but reviewers find the experience oddly anticlimactic now that competitors offer similar AI assistant capabilities.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage crashed into the Moon near Einstein Crater, sparking outsized headlines despite such impacts being common and scientifically useful.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Rod Pyle

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TNW 448: The Math Behind Apple Upgrade - Understanding Apple Upgrade

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:45:00 PDT

Jacob Ward from The Rip Current joins the show this week! Looking into the fallout from an OpenAI model breaching Hugging Face. Winamp returns with a Deezer-powered streaming relaunch. Breaking down the math behind Apple's new leasing program. And shared Claude chats are turning up in Google search results.

Last week, an OpenAI Model autonomously hacked into Hugging Face while performing a cybersecurity task. Jacob breaks down the fallout from the incident and how it is fueling questions about whether AI labs have crossed into "critical risk" territory.
Winamp is getting a new lease on life through a partnership with Deezer, bringing a Winamp-branded music subscription alongside local files, internet radio, and podcasts, set to launch in the first half of 2027.
D. Griffin Jones joins to explain how Apple Upgrade replaces the iPhone Upgrade Program and expands leasing, via Klarna, across iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac.
And a report from 404 Media's Joseph Cox looks into publicly published Claude conversations and artifacts being indexed by Google, exposing sensitive material like crypto wallet keys and personal data, and why understanding what "public" really means before sharing matters.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward

Guest: D. Griffin Jones

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TNW 447: Google Says AI Isn't Taking Your Job - AI Isn't Killing Jobs?

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:15:00 PDT

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins the show this week! AI isn't taking your job, per a report from Google. Gen Z is gravitating towards more "dumb" and simpler tech. An OpenAI model hacked Hugging Face. And Americans are uniting against data centers.

A new Google report analyzing 14.6 million AI conversations finds most workplace AI use is "shallow," with automation rare and collaboration more common.
Amanda shares her report on a "slow tech" trend, which includes both a hacked "dumb phone" and a $299 flip phone called Light flip, as younger users seek friction and less screen time from their devices.
During an internal red-team test, an OpenAI model exploited a zero-day to escape its test environment and breach Hugging Face, stealing cloud and cluster credentials in over 17,000 recorded events.
And a piece from the Washington Post shows bipartisan backlash to AI data centers nationwide, driven by rising electric bills and residents' feelings of powerlessness over local development decisions.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

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TNW 446: Is OnePlus Really Gone for Good? - Why OnePlus is Leaving the US & Europe

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:30:00 PDT

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins the show this week! Is Google's AI Search failing kids? OpenAI could be releasing its first device: a proactive AI-smart speaker. OnePlus is exiting the US & European market. And Microsoft's Comic Chat is now open source.

Common Sense Media finds Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode miss warning signs like suicidal ideation and validate disordered eating, especially concerning.
Bloomberg reports that OpenAI is building a screen-free, proactive smart speaker for the home.
Katie Collins from CNET joins the show to talk about OnePlus's withdrawal from the US & European market.
And Microsoft releases the code for its iconic mid-90s comic-strip IRC client (birthplace of Comic Sans) on GitHub.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Katie Collins

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TNW 445: The Rise of AI-First Schools - Is AI the Way of Learning in the Future?

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:30:00 PDT

Dan Moren joins Mikah Sargent this week! XBOX resets itself. Wealthy families are leaning towards AI tutors to better prepare their kids. AI is starting to get into the "Wrapped" trend with users' data. And New York is the first US state to ban the use of smart glasses in courthouses.

Microsoft laid off thousands more Xbox employees this week, and spun off gaming studios such as Compulsion Games and Double Fine, as the division struggles with thin margins & rising hardware costs.
Wealthy families are pulling kids from public school for pricey new programs like Alpha School and Forge Prep that swap teachers for AI "guides" and lessons in business skills, despite no data proving they work.
Anthropic debuted a new tool called Reflect, reminiscent of Spotify's "Wrapped" feature, that gives Claude users a usage dashboard with quiet hours, break reminders, and insights into their habits, though it requires memory to be turned on.
And New York became the first US state to ban the use of smart glasses in courthouses, following a trend of Illinois drivers and major cruise lines prohibiting the use of camera-equipped smart glasses over recording and safety concerns.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

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TNW 444: The End of the PlayStation Disc - The Beginning of the End of Physical Games?

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:30:00 PDT

Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET joins Mikah Sargent on the show this week! Do Americans trust driverless vehicles? Safety tools for Social Media are failing kids. Sony is ceasing the production of physical games in January 2028. And a Supreme Court ruling guts the government's use of geofence warrants.

A new Pew Research survey finds only 5% of U.S. adults have ridden in a driverless car, and 71% say they wouldn't feel comfortable riding in one in the first place.
An audit conducted by the Cybersafety Research Center showcases that, within Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, the research center found 51 of 86 advertised child-safety features were either broken, buried, or missing.
Sony announced it will stop making physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028.
And in Chatrie v. United States, which reached the Supreme Court, the Court ruled 6-3 that police need a warrant to obtain Google location-history data, further extending Fourth Amendment protections for Americans.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

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TNW 443: $2K Specs, $299 Meta Glasses - Snap's Foray Into Smart Glasses

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:45:00 PDT

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Tech News Weekly with Mikah Sargent! Matter 1.6 is unveiled. A federal probe has been opened into Tesla. Snap and Meta are making major moves in smart glasses this week. And is the rising cost of tech becoming too much?

Jennifer talks about Matter 1.6 and some of the new features that come with the newest version of the technical standard for smart home devices.
Mikah shares how another federal probe has been opened into Tesla, this time a Model 3 vehicle that slammed into a Texas home and killed a 76-year-old in the house.
Scott Stein joins the show to talk about Snap and Meta's newest smart glasses.
And both Mikah and Scott talk about the increasing cost of tech as Steam's new Steam Machine is given a starting price point of $1,049, and Apple just announced a price hike across its Mac, iPad, and home devices.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Scott Stein

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TNW 442: Android 17's Best New Features, Explained - What's New in Android 17

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:00:00 PDT

Dan Moren of Six Colors is in this week for Tech News Weekly with Mikah Sargent. Apple will likely raise the prices of its products in the future. Roku is being bought by Fox. Android 17 arrives for your smartphone! And could your devices come pre-installed with backdoor software?

Dan talks about an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Wall Street Journal and how it's unavoidable that the company will have to raise the price on its devices in the future due to memory chip costs fueled by AI demand.
Mikah laments the potential acquisition of Roku by Fox in a $22 billion cash-and-stock deal.
Patrick Holland of CNET joins the show to talk about Android 17 and the new features within the operating system.
And Mikah shares an investigation by the Wall Street Journal on how many cheap smart home devices have been secretly hijacked by a Chinese company to create a massive residential proxy network used by state-backed hackers from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Patrick Holland

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TNW 441: Siri AI: Initial Impressions - Siri AI & the Next Iteration of Apple's Operating Systems

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:30:00 PDT

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week! Anthropic launches Fable 5, its newest AI model. The FCC seeks to end the use of burner phones in the US. And everything Apple unveiled at WWDC 2026.

Amanda talks about Anthropic's newest AI model, Fable 5, its first consumer-accessible version of its powerful Mythos model.
Mikah shares a story from 404 Media about the FCC's push to end anonymous "burner phones," raising significant concerns about the privacy implications for people who rely on them for legitimate reasons.
And Dan Moren of SixColors joins the show to break down WWDC 2026's latest announcements, including a revamped AI-powered Siri and a privacy-first approach to its new intelligence features.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guest: Dan Moren

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TNW 440: Inside a High School's Deepfake Nightmare - When Deepfakes Go Too Far in Schools

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:30:00 PDT

Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! Google & Microsoft held developer keynotes the past few weeks, with Apple's WWDC conference happening soon. The growing crisis of AI-generated deepfakes in schools. And China's dominance in actuator manufacturing.

Abrar & Mikah chat about the stretch of major tech conferences with Google & Microsoft's tech conferences that happened in the past few weeks, as well as Apple's WWDC that is right around the corner.
Samantha Cole of 404 Media joins the show to talk about the disturbing rise of AI-generated deepfakes that are targeting students in schools and the ongoing challenges facing lawmakers, parents, and app stores in responding to the crisis.
And Mikah looks into America's growing actuator problem, with China dominating the market and the U.S. struggling to bring the manufacturing of actuators back home.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guest: Samantha Cole

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