755: Less Chatty Mode

This week, the AI clown car somehow shifted into another gear. Apple is suing OpenAI over alleged trade-secret theft, newspapers accuse ChatGPT of training on stolen journalism while asking a judge to sanction the company, Anthropic is out here marketing AI with what looks like a feature-length anxiety attack, and Meta managed to launch—and kill—a creepy AI photo feature in less time than it takes to binge The Bear. Meanwhile, AI Appreciation Day wants you to thank the machines, but we'd rather thank the people still creating actual art while the rest of Silicon Valley burns cash convincing us the next chatbot is definitely different this time.

Outside the AI bubble, the rest of the tech industry isn't exactly inspiring confidence. Volkswagen is cutting back on its lineup, New York paused new AI data centers before the electrical grid hits its limit, Europe and the UK are getting serious about keeping kids off social media, and publishers are finally realizing maybe feeding Google's AI isn't the best business move after all. Add in surveillance companies sulking over lost police contracts, lawsuits claiming Meta let algorithms decide who gets fired, smart glasses disqualifying cyclists, and a new pile of orbital junk threatening the satellites we depend on, and it's another reminder that "move fast and break things" eventually leaves you ankle-deep in broken glass.

Of course, we still made time for the important stuff: Project Hail Mary, Black Bag, the return of Middle-earth with The Hunt for Gollum and rumors that OpenAI's "revolutionary” gadget might just be a smart speaker with delusions of grandeur. Throw in digital piano repairs, anti-data-center lawn signs, AI trying to sell solar panels, too much stuff at Downtown Disney, and you get another week where reality out-satirizes satire itself. As always, never build your house in someone else's backyard, and maybe don't let the chatbot build it either.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/755

Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Vv2W5OCBXR4

SHOW NOTES

Volkswagen will dramatically shrink its model lineup and factory footprint

Elon Musk Could Still Face Criminal Charges for Trying to Bribe Voters in Wisconsin

Europe takes step toward social media ban for kids

The UK Is Planning a Social Media Curfew for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

Once Unimaginable, Publishers Are Preparing to Opt Out of Google Search

What are your plans for AI Appreciation Day?

New Anthropic Ad Implies AI Could Kill Us All

The Public Got So Mad at Meta’s New AI Photo Tool That It’s Scrapped Already

Flock Says ‘We Hope to Resume’ Work With LAPD After Getting Dropped

Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft

Apple F*cking Did It: One Month With Siri AI

OpenAI faces sanctions bid as newspapers say ChatGPT was trained on stolen news

A Majority of Americans Now Support Seizing Wealth From AI Industry

New York enacts first US ban on data center construction

Astronomers Found a Hidden Swarm of Space Junk Threatening Earth’s Most Valuable Orbit

Lawsuit claims Meta's layoff decisions were made by AI, not humans

Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Apple of failing to stop CSAM on iCloud

Smart Glasses Just Got a Pro Cyclist Nixed From a Race

Project Hail Mary

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

The New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Film Gets an Epic Filming Announcement

Black Bag

Philips offers free replacements after update bricked smart lighting hubs

Waze rolls out new AI features including Motorcycle and 'Less Chatty' modes

The OpenAI Mystery Device Will Reportedly Be Basically Just a Smart Speaker

Phoebe Gates' AI shopping app Phia reportedly claimed unearned affiliate sales through fake clicks

The End of Reading Is Here

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Is Finally Coming Home

Dave Kendall, Creator and Host of MTV’s 120 Minutes, Has Died

Sam Neill, Jurassic Park Star, Dies at 78

The Dish

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