What's New

DC went to YC to talk OS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Trump told crypto enthusiasts exactly what they want to hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Platforms combining plants and recycled garbage could offer a cut-price solution for reviving polluted bodies of water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A controversial new surveillance system in Paris foreshadows a future where there are too many CCTV cameras for humans to physically watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OpenResearch released the first results of the most comprehensive study on giving unrestricted cash grants to impoverished Americans. Researchers say it will flame both sides of the debate over welfare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The software company has pushed back hard against claims that its algorithms helped make rent in the US too damn high. Property owners and managers aren't entirely convinced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Republican VP nominee's Venmo network reveals connections ranging from the architects of Project 2025 to enemies of Donald Trump—and the populist's close ties to the very elites he rails against. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The music streaming service has added a comment function under podcasts. Who is it for, anyway? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

French politicians’ pledge to make swimming possible in the iconic river is a way to ward off criticism about the cost of the clean up operation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a roundabout bid to win public opinion (and a juicy tax abatement,) Riot Platforms is preparing for its prized bitcoin mine to be annexed by a miniscule village in rural Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new resolution echoes what 16 members of Congress have already said to the White House: It must do more to free one of the most storied crypto-focused federal agents in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arab and Muslim workers at Meta allege that its response to the crisis in Gaza is one-sided and out of hand. “It makes me sick that I work for this company,” says one employee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest iOS overhaul prompted by European Union rules, the smartphone maker will give third-party developers access to its payment technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fortnite creator Epic Games says Apple rejected its App Store rival for being too similar to its own—a move it deemed “arbitrary, obstructive,” and in violation of EU rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists know enough about exoplanets to speculate about how simple plants might arise on them. But don't count on them being green. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new government could bring about a renaissance in UK tech and bolster the country’s precarious post-Brexit startup pipeline. That’s if politics don’t get in the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former customers of bankrupt crypto exchange Mt. Gox are preparing to be reunited with their lost bitcoin—and it's a $9bn windfall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A hot ocean provides the energy hurricanes need to grow—and can limit the cooling that happens in their wake, making it likelier that the storms that follow will be powerful ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Upside Foods is slashing staff, citing legislative, regulatory, and funding headwinds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest big tech reprimand, European Commission officials say the tech giant must offer another option for EU users to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With polls suggesting voters are about to swing toward the far right or hard left, the AI industry is starting to freak out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having humans rate a language model’s outputs produced clever chatbots. OpenAI says adding AI to the loop could help make them even smarter and more reliable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toxic air kills over half a million children every year, yet only once has air pollution been listed as a cause of death on a death certificate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to one count of espionage in US court on Wednesday, ending a years-long legal battle between the US government and a controversial publisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The aftermath of a disaster like Covid can be divided into roughly three stages: the honeymoon, the slump, and the uptick. The aim is always to build back better—but in some cases that never happens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earlier this week, WIRED published a story about the AI-powered search startup Perplexity, which Forbes has accused of plagiarism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The humble potato is a miraculous vegetable, but Americans are eating less of them than ever before and have ditched fresh potatoes for frozen. Is it time to rebrand the spud? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Students and young workers from more than 120 universities have pledged to refuse work at Google and Amazon until the Israeli contract is dropped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Extreme weather threatens the investment value of many properties, but financing for climate mitigation efforts are only just getting going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Companies aren’t replacing workers with AI yet. But they are sacrificing thousands of jobs in the race to further innovation in the technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I Spent a Week Eating Discarded Restaurant Food. But Was It Really Going to Waste?

Astronomers show how a 50-meter space rock orbiting near Earth isn’t a typical asteroid: It probably blasted off the moon millions of years ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Other tech companies want to sell you chatbots. Apple’s demos show the value of seeing the AI as an integrated, holistic experience rather than a stand-alone app or device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susan Rice, who helped the White House broker an AI safety agreement with OpenAI and other tech companies, says she's worried China will steal American AI secrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Foam rubber—like the filling inside your couch—produces an enormous amount of CO2. A Norwegian company called Agoprene thinks seaweed could be the solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As if trying to land a new gig isn't demoralizing enough, job seekers are meeting with characters powered by generative AI who are capable of meeting with infinite candidates to judge their skills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The number of alleged hacks targeting the customers of cloud storage firm Snowflake appears to be snowballing into one of the biggest data breaches of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FDA is considering approving MDMA alongside psychotherapy as a treatment for PTSD. But evidence of the drug’s effectiveness isn’t clear cut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Highly caffeinated drinks have become a cultural staple. But following a death allegedly related to Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, has our collective obsession with energy drinks become unsafe? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Startup Light Bio has created a bioluminescent petunia using mushroom genes and plans to start shipping the plants next spring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists know enough about exoplanets to speculate about how simple plants might arise on them. But don't count on them being green.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investor Marc Andreessen called tech ethics and safety teams “the enemy” in his “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” last year. Today he clarified he’s in favor of online guardrails for his 9-year-old son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show Science, Spoken. Christopher Columbus was blamed for bringing syphilis to Europe. New DNA evidence suggests it was already there. Maybe both stories are true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wyoming’s secretary of state has proposed ways of “preventing fraud and abuse of corporate filings by commercial registered agents” in the aftermath of the scheme’s exposure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are becoming part of everyday business life. But they come with privacy and security considerations you should know about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Data breaches at Ticketmaster and financial services company Santander have been linked to attacks against cloud provider Snowflake. Researchers fear more breaches will soon be uncovered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Google rushed out fixes after its AI search feature made errors that went viral. Fundamental limitations of generative AI mean that it will still screw up sometimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show Business, Spoken. Tiny houses started as a minimalist revolution. They ended up as an Instagram aesthetic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2022’s NASA mission proved it was possible to knock an incoming near-Earth object off course. But that creates debris—which might also be a threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US says a Chinese national operated the “911 S5” botnet, which included computers worldwide and was used to file hundreds of thousands of fraudulent Covid claims and distribute CSAM, among other crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does some wildlife thrive in the city? Figuring this out is the first step to boosting urban biodiversity. And that's good for everyone.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show Science, Spoken. A clinical trial reveals the first evidence of how the brain restructures physically in the first month on SSRIs—and the link between neuroplasticity and depression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US military aims to maintain its dominance by building autonomous attack drones that collaborate with humans and overwhelm defenses in swarms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Solar winds at a million miles an hour and freaky magnetic turbulence are sparking some of the best light shows in centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Chinese-owned app is in serious trouble in Washington, but a survey of US creators suggests TikTok’s influencer economy is carrying on with business as usual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If Scarlett Johansson pursues legal action against OpenAI for giving ChatGPT a voice she calls “eerily similar to mine,” she might claim the company breached her right to publicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

They predict the ups and downs of Bitcoin based on planetary movements, and their super-secretive clientele listens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ken Segall is the reason so many Apple products start with “i.” Now he says it’s time to drop the prefix entirely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We wanted to bring you one of our favorite stories from 2023: The wide-ranging scams, often disguised as game promotions, can all be linked back to one network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The emotional mimicry of OpenAI’s new version of ChatGPT could lead AI assistants in some strange—even dangerous—directions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Loaded with ever more renewables, the grid will need to store a whole lot of energy. Enter: a new kind of magic school bus—one that can both charge and give power back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexey Pertsev, cofounder of the crypto-anonymizing tool, has been sentenced to over five years behind bars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wearable AI gadgets from Rabbit and Humane were panned by reviewers, including at WIRED. Their face-plants show that it’s still tough to compete with big tech in the age of ChatGPT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neuralink experienced a mechanical issue with its first human brain-computer interface implant. Its novel design may make it more prone to failure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had both a brain parasite and mercury poisoning at the same time. Just how rare is each condition? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OpenAI released draft guidelines for how it wants the AI technology inside ChatGPT to behave—and revealed that it’s exploring how to ‘responsibly’ generate explicit content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ChatGPT developer OpenAI says that artists and other content owners will be able to request that their work be excluded from use in AI development. Many details of the scheme remain unclear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With little incentive for US farmers to test their cattle, and many undocumented laborers on dairy farms, the full scale of the outbreak is unclear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden administration is asking tech companies to sign a pledge, obtained by WIRED, to improve their digital security, including reduced default password use and improved vulnerability disclosures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Joe Biden will update the directives to protect US critical infrastructure against major threats, from cyberattacks to terrorism to climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FCC voted 3-2 to restore net neutrality rules that had disappeared during the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FCC voted 3-2 to restore net neutrality rules that had disappeared during the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ads for Explicit ‘AI Girlfriends’ Are Swarming Facebook and Instagram

Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam

The Bitcoin halving is imminent. Crypto mining companies are reaching for every trick in the book to survive it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sales of vegan meat are trending downward in the US, with companies scrambling to win back customers. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Smooth-talking scammers known as “Yahoo Boys” use widely available face-swapping tech to carry out elaborate romance scams. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AngryGF offers a perpetually enraged chatbot intended to teach men better communication skills. WIRED took it for a spin. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How One Author Pushed the Limits of AI Copyright

Google Workers Protest Cloud Contract With Israel's Government

Want one of the fastest-growing jobs in the US? Get used to being high. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bird Flu Is Spreading in Alarming New Ways

Transparency advocates say that Eric Schmidt's pursuit of “personal” connections with AI companies in China represents a concerning conflict of interest. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Europe Rules That Insufficient Climate Change Action Is a Human Rights Violation

Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI

When I started coding, I was suspicious of all the abstractions. Then I discovered the Django framework. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC’s Attention. Do His Claims Add Up?

OpenAI’s GPT Store Is Triggering Copyright Complaints

Meta Kills a Crucial Transparency Tool At the Worst Possible Time

The London-based social enterprise is turning regular people into at-home zookeepers. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Follow these tips to produce stronger writing that stands out on the web even in the age of AI and ChatGPT. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two new books offer radically different approaches to how people should think about smartphones and social media. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Earth Will Feast on Dead Cicadas

The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is About to Get Even Messier

Enjoy Your Favorite Wine Before Climate Change Destroys It

A Deepfake Nude Generator Reveals a Chilling Look at Its Victims

If you've ever heard music, voices, or other sounds while trying to sleep with a white noise machine running, you're not losing your mind. Here's what's going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some species can absorb extreme amounts of nickel from soils. Such “phytomining” could help provide batteries essential for the renewable revolution. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shift to electric vehicles is exciting, but it will leave us with thousands of tonnes of spent batteries. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Those sounds you hear when you’re alone in a Huddle aren’t canned. They’re uncanny. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Designer Who’s Trying to Transform Your City Into a Sponge

States Are Lining Up to Outlaw Lab-Grown Meat

Regulators Need AI Expertise. They Can’t Afford It

Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

Rampant Wildfires Are Threatening a Collapse of the Amazon Rainforest

The Quest to Give AI Chatbots a Hand—and an Arm

Apple Could Be the First Target of Europe's Tough New Tech Law

Europe Is Breaking Open the Empires of Big Tech

De-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences claims it has found a way to reprogram elephant cells, a technical breakthrough that could lead to the return of the long-lost mammals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Trump Trial Ransomware Leak

Google’s Deal With StackOverflow Is the Latest Proof That AI Giants Will Pay for Data

Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against a Group That Found Hate Speech on X Isn’t Going Well

From today, Ford electric car drivers can plug into the Supercharger network. You can bet more makers will follow. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Any tech company moving into the auto space needs a manufacturing partner. But the Apple's EV died as it lived: alone. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Discarded Plan to Build Underwater Cities Will Give Coral Reefs New Life

Neuralink’s First Brain Implant Is Working. Elon Musk’s Transparency Isn’t

Google Tweaked Search to Comply With EU Rules. Yelp Says It Makes Results Even More Unfair

This Small Wearable Device Reduces Parkinson’s Symptoms

Climate Finance Is Targeting the Wrong Industries

AI Is Coming for the Experts. First, It Needs Their Help

Viruses called phages offer a promising treatment option for bacterial infections when antibiotics stop working, but they have limitations. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Feds Just Bet Even Bigger on American-Made Heat Pumps

Smoking Alters Your Immune System for Years After You Quit

AI Is Rewiring Coders’ Brains. Yours May Be Next

Who Tests If Heat-Proof Clothing Actually Works? These Poor Sweating Mannequins

European app makers are seething, comparing Apple to “the Mafia” and piling pressure on lawmakers to act. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Far-Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner

Google Prepares for a Future Where Search Isn’t King

A scientific publisher found serious flaws in a paper that links the medication mifepristone to more emergency room visits.Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FCC has issued a cease and desist and is working on a new proposal banning AI-generated robocalls. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Startup Allegedly ‘Hacked the World.’ Then Came the Censorship—and Now the Backlash

All of the restaurants that once sold cultivated meat have stopped offering it, leaving the industry in a strange limbo. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Cheaper Tesla Model Is Coming in 2025 as Chinese Competition Intensifies

One of America’s largest internet providers may collect data about your political beliefs, race, and sexual orientation to serve personalized ads. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Newly disclosed breaches of Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise highlight the persistent threat posed by Midnight Blizzard, a notorious Russian cyber-espionage group. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple Isn’t Ready to Release Its Grip on the App Store

Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs

This Chatbot Screens Your Dating App Matches for You

No, the Great Tech Layoffs of 2023 Aren’t Happening Again

This Chinese Startup Is Winning the Open Source AI Race

ChatGPT's Hunger for Energy Could Trigger a GPU Revolution

The world’s trawlers are stirring carbon dioxide into the water—and into the atmosphere. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new ad campaign is targeting the cultivated meat industry on TV and online. Industry supporters criticize it as unscientific. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Tech Workers Are Ditching Big Cities for Boise

Ocean exploration to prepare for deep-sea mining has been greenlit in Norway. These are the startups hoping to benefit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congress Wants Tech Companies to Pay Up for AI Training Data

Scammy AI-Generated Books Are Flooding Amazon

The White House Just Announced a $623 Million EV-Charging Bonanza

Wildfire smoke and exhaust fumes are triggering spikes in eczema and other skin conditions. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Defense of AI Hallucinations

Spying on Beavers From Space Could Help Save California

Ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive drug, drastically reduced symptoms of depression and PTSD in veterans with traumatic brain injuries. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Molecular farming company Moolec has inserted pig genes into soy beans to generate meaty-tasting proteins that can be grown in plants. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Ultrasound Bra Could Detect Cancer Sooner

What Are ‘Missed Period Pills,’ and How Do They Work?

Your Money Is Funding Fossil Fuels Without You Knowing It

How to Stop Another OpenAI Meltdown

Sorry California, Amazon Will No Longer Sell You Donkey Meat

What Happens When Facebook Heats Your Home

Google’s App Store Monopoly Ruled Illegal as Jury Sides With Epic

My Surprisingly Unbiased Week With Elon Musk's 'Politically Biased' Chatbot

In a World First, a Patient’s Antibody Cells Were Just Genetically Engineered

OpenAI’s Ilya Sutskever Has a Plan for Keeping Super-Intelligent AI in Check

Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees

YouTube Is Now Hiding Which Channels Get a Cut of Ad Revenue

Can Rock Dust Soak Up Carbon Emissions? A Giant Experiment Is Set to Find Out

Mark Zuckerberg personally promised that the privacy feature would launch by default on Messenger and Instagram chat. WIRED goes behind the scenes of the company’s colossal effort to get it right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Videos featuring Elijah Wood, Mike Tyson, and Priscilla Presley have been edited to push anti-Ukraine disinformation, according to Microsoft researchers. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Google Just Launched Gemini, Its Long-Awaited Answer to ChatGPT

Spotify Is Screwed

OpenAI Committed to Buying $51 Million of AI Chips From a Startup Backed by CEO Sam Altman

The Race to Find What’s Making America’s Dogs Sick

A Life-Extension Drug for Big Dogs Is Getting Closer to Reality

The Weirdest Reason the Poles Are Warming So Fast? Invisible Clouds

A Damning Report Claims a Major Gig Economy Union Had a Culture of Abuse and Toxicity

The US Wants Vietnam to Be Its New Tech Best Friend

A second Starship test flight advanced a bit further than the first, with the rocket reaching the edge of space but blowing up soon after. Industry experts say it’s still a step forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Orleans Tried to Control Short-Term Rentals With a Lottery System. It Was a Mess

The Precarious Rise of Disposable Vapes

The Biden administration is announcing $169 million to supercharge domestic production of a device beloved by climate and energy nerds. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

YouTube Shorts Challenges TikTok With Music-Making AI for Creators

Research has questioned whether seasonal depression actually exists. Maybe that doesn’t matter. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The medical community's leading authority on traumatic brain injuries wants to make contact sports—which she loves—safer for everyone. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The threat of avalanches is rising with global warming, but technology can help protect skiers on and off the slopes. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Staff at US federal contractor Maximus claim they only get six minutes a day to use the bathroom, are monitored by an AI system that reports them for going off-script, and can’t afford health care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Face recognition technology has been controversial for years. Cops in the UK are drastically increasing the amount they use it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Big Tech Ditched Trust and Safety. Now Startups Are Selling It Back As a Service

Greenland’s northern ice shelves—long thought to be relatively stable—have lost more than a third of their volume since 1978, new research finds. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why You Can’t Stop Reading About Daylight Saving Time

YouTube’s Ad Blocker Crackdown Spurs Record Uninstalls

Facebook Finally Puts a Price on Privacy: It’s $10 a Month

Lawrence Faucette died six weeks after undergoing the experimental procedure involving a genetically engineered organ. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the climate changes, the bloodthirsty creatures are moving north from Latin America, bringing the threat of rabies with them. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A device in her brain delivers jolts of electricity when it detects abnormal neural activity associated with obsessive thoughts. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Less than 48 hours after Musk bought Twitter, staff was scrambling to avert a potential legal crisis. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple Store Workers Fear the Tech Giant Is Dodging Accountability for Shady Labor Practices

Thousands of child abuse images are being created with AI. New images of old victims are appearing, as criminals trade datasets. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to Spot Abortion-Related Misinformation

History Says the 1918 Flu Killed the Young and Healthy. These Bones Say Otherwise

This Vaccine Protects Against Cancer—but Not Enough Boys Are Getting It

Amazon Let Its Drivers’ Urine Be Sold as an Energy Drink

AI Chatbots Can Guess Your Personal Information From What You Type

Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest

How Hop Nerds Are Saving Your Favorite Beer From Climate Change

X’s Sneaky New Ads Might Be Illegal

Hydro Dams Are Struggling to Handle the World’s Intensifying Weather

What Do We Owe the Octopus?

Google’s AI Is Making Traffic Lights More Efficient and Less Annoying

People are listing short-term rentals on social media and lesser-known platforms, bolstering a rental black market in New York City. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Game Theory of the Auto Strikes

Chatbot Hallucinations Are Poisoning Web Search

The Team Helping Women Fight Digital Domestic Abuse

India Is Using Terrorism Laws to Target Journalists

Scientists know enough about exoplanets to speculate about how simple plants might arise on them. But don't count on them being green. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

X Fires Its Election Team Before a Huge Election Year

A deep learning model has joined a vigorous debate over whether volcanoes began dinosaur doomsday well before the asteroid hit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon’s All-Powerful ‘Buy Box’ Is at the Heart of Its New Antitrust Troubles

Extreme rain is getting more extreme as temperatures rise. That may seem counterintuitive, but the underlying physics is crystal clear. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

California's Governor Vetoes State Ban on Driverless Trucks

The fintech unicorn Revolut needs a UK banking license to sustain its growth, but it keeps tripping up. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Elon Musk and Tesla Helped Spark the Auto Strikes

The world is rapidly heating. So why has the central US been weirdly cool compared to the rest of the country? Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High Blood Pressure Is the World’s Biggest Killer. Now There’s a Plan to Tackle It

The Auto Strike Threatens a Supply Chain Already Weakened by Covid

Some 150,000 US autoworkers are poised to strike this week for better pay and pledges that green jobs won’t be worse jobs. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Some Animals Thrive in Cities

Is Google’s Search Engine Smart or Sneaky? A Court Will Decide

Facebook Is Giving Up on News—Again

Big Batteries Are Booming. So Are Fears They'll Catch Fire

Here's how to request that your personal information not be used to train Meta's AI model. "Request" is the operative word here. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK Is Poised to Force a Bad Law on the Internet

A Billion-Dollar Plan to Fix Farm Emissions Might Make Things Worse

Climate Change Has Finally Come For Burning Man

Meta Isn't Enforcing Its Own Political Ads Policy, While the 2024 US Election Looms

The Inventor Behind a Rush of AI Copyright Suits Is Trying to Show His Bot Is Sentient

Turtles Carry Signs of Humanity’s Nuclear History in Their Shells

The Killer App for Threads Is the Web

Trump's Prosecution Is America's Last Hope

Two new studies show that AI-powered devices can help paralyzed people communicate faster and more accurately. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Myth of ‘Open Source’ AI

Here’s what the science really says about teens and screens—and how to start the conversation with young people of any age. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Brain Implant Helped Stroke Survivors Regain Movement

Garments that can be packed with ice or equipped with fans are becoming increasingly popular among workers exposed to high heat. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the Dreams Favela, Wi-Fi and Ecommerce Promise a Better Future

Fake Meat Is Bleeding, but It’s Not Dead Yet

How a Firefly Course Is Saving Japan’s Favorite Glowing Insect

This Bold Plan to Kick the World’s Coal Habit Might Actually Work

The Space Force Is Launching Its Own Swarm of Tiny Satellites

Robotaxis can offer paid rides in San Francisco around the clock after Alphabet’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise got approval from California’s Public Utilities Commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By Seizing @Music, Elon Musk Shows He Doesn’t Know What Made Twitter Good

AI Is Building Highly Effective Antibodies That Humans Can’t Even Imagine

Think US health data is automatically kept private? Think again. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI Can Give You an NPC That Remembers. It Could Also Get Your Favorite Artist Fired

Generative AI won't just flood the internet with more lies—it may also create convincing disinformation that’s targeted at groups or even individuals. Read the story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A study of baby-food containers shows that microwaving plastic releases millions upon millions of polymer bits. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Extreme Heat Threatens the Health of Unborn Babies

Researchers found a simple way to make ChatGPT, Bard, and other chatbots misbehave, proving that AI is hard to tame. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As white-collar workers surf the web in air-conditioned comfort, delivery drivers are moving ecommerce packages through record temperatures. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pentagon’s embrace of military AI raises questions about what limits should be placed on the technology—and how to keep humans in control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Patient May Be Free of HIV, Thanks to This Drug

As protests rage over Israel’s controversial reforms to the supreme court, many tech companies have been moving their money and headquarters offshore. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Third-party plugins boost ChatGPT’s capabilities. But security researchers say they add an extra layer of risk. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why These Surfers Want to Restore a Rainforest

AI-generated video and images are ushering in an ungovernable reality—where the remixing of stereotypes is not only accepted, but big business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don’t Ask Dumb Robots If AI Will Destroy Humanity

Want to Win a Chip War? You’re Gonna Need a Lot of Water

Pure Oxygen Speeds Up Learning. Can It Help Stroke Survivors Recover?

EV Sales Hit a Record in the US. Now Their Popularity May Be Waning

The current record highs in the US are thanks to a heat dome—and it’s expected to get worse. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Microsoft says hackers somehow stole a cryptographic key, perhaps from its own network, that let them forge user identities and slip past cloud defenses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If used responsibly, artificial intelligence has the potential to both make gaming more accessible and to actively learn what individuals need. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Chinese-owned ecommerce app faces lawsuits for copyright infringement after sellers allegedly copied products and stole photos and text from Amazon.  Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A One-Time Shot for Type 2 Diabetes? A Biotech Company Is On It

Meta’s microblogging app is intuitive, has already been downloaded by millions of people, and has other advantages over Twitter’s would-be rivals. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vulnerabilities in electric vehicle charging stations and a lack of broad standards threaten drivers—and the power grid. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Titles like AI Dungeon are already using generative AI to generate in-game content. Nobody knows who owns it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A globe-spanning group of physicists used pulsars to measure the waves, which they believe emanated from pairs of supermassive black holes. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Programming can be faster when algorithms help out, but there is evidence AI coding assistants also make bugs more common. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Hurricane Season Depends on a Showdown in the Atlantic

Elon Musk Seeks Support Against Rules on Free Speech Online

Poverty, housing, and the availability of green spaces all impact a population’s well-being. Governments need to start acting like it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conspiracy theories and misinformation with their roots in the American right are driving global anti-LGBTQ sentiment—and offline violence. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Millionaires Are Begging Governments to Tax Them More

A Russia-Based Hacking Rampage Hits US Agencies and Exposes Millions

Chinese entrepreneurs are using AI to start content businesses and write self-help books. But the real money’s in selling the dream. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new theory describes how particle interactions fuel fast magnetic reconnection, the process behind solar flares and other astrophysical jets. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK’s houses are still designed to retain heat. In an age of global warming, that needs to change. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stack Overflow Didn’t Ask How Bad Its Gender Problem Is This Year

Scientists from the world’s two superpowers are concerned about the risks of AI—which may offer a bridge to developing global regulations. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An Anti-Porn App Put a Man in Jail and His Family Under Surveillance

Melting Antarctic ice is disrupting the movement of deep seawater, which could further destabilize weather patterns around the world. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Documents WIRED obtained detail new prison-monitoring technology that keeps tabs on inmates’ location, heartbeats, and more. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you use ChatGPT, Bard, or Bing, your favorite AI chatbots can help your application stand out from the crowd. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To Make a Greener Building, Start With an Old One

FTX’s liquidator is trying to claw back $4 billion from the estate of Genesis Global Capital, another fallen crypto business. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Precision Neuroscience’s brain-computer interface sits on top of the brain, not in it. That could make it easier to implant, and less likely to damage tissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Taking a rational and statistical approach to a diagnosis can lead to better choices about treatment—which in some cases might mean not treating cancer at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four people will cohabitate in a small prototype Martian dwelling, mimicking the isolation and stresses of life on the Red Planet. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They Plugged GPT-4 Into Minecraft and Unearthed New Potential for AI

The software engineer’s cautionary Web3 blog pours cold water on cryptocurrency’s dumpster fires. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The chatbot can help rehearse communication skills and for some provides a resource to turn to when life is tough. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time is money. Reclaim your precious minutes with these strategies for in-person and virtual meetings. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A security review describes how attackers exploited mistakes to steal millions of dollars worth of bitcoin. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Humanoid Robots Are Coming of Age

How NASA Plans to Melt the Moon—and Build on Mars

Global trade relies on ships powered by dirty fuel. To meet climate deadlines, some are proposing a return to wind power. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk’s appointment repeats a pattern in which companies led into crisis by men suddenly appoint women leaders. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ChatGPT Now Has an iPhone App

The True Cost of a Free TV

The USPS carries out warrantless surveillance on thousands of parcels every year. Lawmakers are working to end it—right now. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pandemic Isn't Over. Here's How to Stay Safe

More Penguins Than Europeans Can Use Google Bard

Data from top-performing employees can create AI helpers that boost everyone’s productivity—but also create new concerns over fair pay. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ChatGPT’s chaotic streak can be charming. Google’s new chat-style search shows text-generation technology is headed in a much tamer direction. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk’s plan to reclaim accounts—including those of dead celebrities or failed brands—could start a free-for-all with dangerous and upsetting consequences. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Far North Is Burning—and Turning Up the Heat on the Planet