Uncanny Valley | WIRED
WIREDUncanny Valley | WIRED
Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley. Join hosts Lauren Goode, Michael Calore, and Zoë Schiffer as they break down new stories or phenomena bubbling up in Silicon Valley. Whether it’s a pivotal decision made inside a tech company, a quirky, new habit of a CEO, or the overwhelming expansion of generative AI, we’ll explain why these matter and how they affect you.
© Condé Nast. All rights reserved. 783607
Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley. Join hosts Lauren Goode, Michael Calore, and Zoë Schiffer as they break down new stories or phenomena bubbling up in Silicon Valley. Whether it’s a pivotal decision made inside a tech company, a quirky, new habit of a CEO, or the overwhelming expansion of generative AI, we’ll explain why these matter and how they affect you.
© Condé Nast. All rights reserved. 783607
Wireds Gadget Lab team sums up this year in tech. Plus: An interview with the CEO of a futuristic fitness company.
This week, we talk about disinformation campaigns online that use doctored images of celebrities to sow confusion about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other world events.
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This week, we discuss how adding animated chats to Roblox will advance the company’s plan to enrich its virtual world.
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This week, we discuss a recent court case in Illinois that illustrates how police overreach into school discipline has affected students and their families.
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This week, we talk about how the changes in Hollywood that are fuelling the writers’ and actors’ strikes will affect not just TV and movies, but also podcasts, video games, and TikTok.
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This week, we use a set of software tools to create robo versions of our real voices and see how they stack up.
This week, we learn how automakers adopted the subscription model where drivers pay to unlock features, and why the used car market will see it next.
This week, we trace how Amazon was able to build a massive public wireless network, and how it will change the future of connected devices.
This week, we learn how semiconductors are made. It’s easy! You just need light, water, a few billion transistors, and total geopolitical stability.
This week, we ask ourselves what our reliance on our smartphones tells us about our wants and fears.
This week, WIRED and NPR team up to cover the debate about students and teachers using generative AI in the classroom.
This week, we talk about the recommendation engines on platforms like YouTube and Spotify, and how a pair of US Supreme Court cases is putting them under renewed scrutiny.
This week, we talk about how streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are growing in uncomfortable ways—and charging users more.
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This week, we talk to Tracers in the Dark author Andy Greenberg about how authorities are catching crypto criminals by following the money.
This week, we ask if there's anything else our phones should be doing for us. Also, we break down the Samsung Galaxy announcements.
This week, we talk about why search engine companies, US lawmakers, and parents are all concerned about TikTok eating our brains.
This week, we get honest about our attachments to our gas stoves, and debate whether to replace them or just continue breathing their fumes.
This week, we talk about how US farmers’ fight to fix their own equipment could impact the repairability of phones, appliances, and other gadgets.
This week, our hosts report from consumer tech’s biggest show of the year in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This week, we look back at 2022’s biggest consumer tech stories. Then, we offer our predictions for what the next 12 months will bring.
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This week, we chart the rise of services that let you pay for purchases in interest-free installments, and what they mean for the future of shopping.
This week, a show from the archives where we discuss guided cooking apps, connected appliances, and all things smart (and not so smart) on our kitchen countertops.
This week, we discuss the implications Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter—and his high profile firings—could have for security and data privacy on the platform.
This week, we do our best to break down the social media platform many Twitter users are flocking to.
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This week, we wade into the marketplace of NFT videos that are sold pre-installed in digital photo frames.
This week, we examine Instagram’s move to prioritize Reels—a feature copied from TikTok—and whether that will help or hinder the platform’s growth.
This week, we interview the hosts of Land of the Giants. The podcast’s new season traces Facebook’s explosion from a tiny startup to the colossus known as Meta.
This week, we look at how regulatory pressure might deflate—or even kill—the nicotine vaping industry in the US.
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This week, we learn about the new browser from DuckDuckGo and share some of our web privacy tips.
This week, we discuss the Peloton Guide, and debate the role the company’s cameras and computer vision tech could play in the coming years.
This week we discuss Lapsus$, the group claiming to have pulled the recent hack on Okta.
This week, we walk through what it takes to make your own Web3 decentralized autonomous organization. (Yes, there are tokens.)
This week, we talk about the limitations of using facial recognition technology to identify suspected criminals.
This week, we recap Apple's hardware announcement and ask where all the humanity went.
This week, we discuss how the economic fallout from the invasion of Ukraine is affecting consumer goods sales, mobile payments, crypto, and the gig economy.
This week, we talk about iOS 15.4 and the big features coming soon to iPhones, including the changes to the way AirTags work.
This week, we recap all the devices Samsung showed off at Unpacked, including three new phones and a trio of tablets.
This week, we decide whether to switch music streaming services, and we offer some tips for those choosing to get their groove on elsewhere.
This week, we talk about differing visions for the metaverse and whether it’s a good place to bring your kids.
This week, we ask two autonomous vehicle experts what’s next for the tech.
This week, we discuss the techniques used to create alcohol free liquor, beer, and wine.
This week, we round up the news from consumer tech’s big show, including ebikes, webcams, health trackers, and AI-powered everything.
This week, we look back at how technology affected us in 2021—in mostly positive ways.
This week, we imagine a new version of the web that takes the power from the platforms and puts it back into the hands of the people.
This week, we hear from the acclaimed novelist Neal Stephenson about climate change, the metaverse, and the role fictional stories can play in shaping our future.
This week, we look at Niantic and Snap, whose augmented reality plans are quite different than what’s being hyped elsewhere.
This week, we break down what’s happening with the global supply chain and we offer some tips on how to fulfil your holiday shopping needs anyway.
This week, we discuss the company formerly known as Facebook’s vision for the VR-powered hyperreality of the future.
This week, we critique—and praise!—the new MacBook Pro models and the Pixel 6, both of which just landed in our laps.
This week, we talked about revelations from whistleblower Frances Haugen's testimony—and whether this reckoning will finally change the social media giant.
This week, Lauren talks to the politician about his new political party, and how the US can get more bikes, scooters, and pedestrians on the streets.
This week, we talk about Amazon’s domestic robot strategy, and what privacy questions you should ask yourself before you buy in.
This week, we look at the new Surface hardware and try to determine how much experimentation your workflow can withstand.
This week, we go deep on the photographic and cinematic capabilities of the iPhone 13. Kik: Gadget Lab Podcast
This week, we talk about the latest public health directives from the White House.
This week, we look at what happened to New Orleans' electrical grid in Ida's wake, and we learn how a major solar eruption could knock out the internet.
This week, we step into Facebook’s vision of the metaverse, where reality and the simulated world become one. Kinda.
This week, we talk about the Google Pixel 5A and how it’s changing our expectations of sub-$500 phones.
This week, we dissect the technology Apple is using to protect children from sexual abuse on its messaging and photo-storage platforms.
This week, we talk about the history of memes, where they originate, and how they became weapons in the culture wars
This week, Jason Parham takes us inside one of the most influential communities on the internet.
This week, Steven Levy fills us in on the Blue Origin launch, its implications, and why so many billionaires are obsessed with space travel.
We talk to the authors of a new book about the notorious coworking startup and its charismatic cofounder, Adam Neumann.
This week, we discuss the proliferation of ebikes within bikeshare networks like those owned by Lyft, as well as the explosive growth of private ebike ownership.
Medical AI is changing healthcare—but it can’t catch everything.
With Covid-19 travel restrictions relaxing, citizens are boarding planes, trains, buses, and rideshares in increasing numbers. This week, we look at how that’s going.
This week, we talk about all things WWDC and Apple’s quest for worldwide gadget domination.
This week, we unpack the behavioral science behind vaccine lotteries, and why a life-changing amount of cash will motivate humans to get their shots.
This week, we talk about how the technology we’ve invented to more accurately recreate colors has driven whole civilizations.
This week, we recap the news out of Google IO, including Android’s new look and Project Starline’s holographic video booth.
This week, we talk to author and journalist Brad Stone about his new book on Amazon and its famous boss.
This week, we go deep on the law that shaped the modern internet with our resident legal eagle, Gilad Edelman.
This week, we look at how the latest iPhone software update ties into the debate about regulating big tech.
This week, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, the head of Facebook Reality Labs, joins us to talk about how his team is thinking about the future of mixed reality.
This week, we mark a major milestone by inviting our podcast’s past co-hosts to share their memories of working on the show. It’s equal parts lulz and tears.
This week, we look at how living online makes it harder to forget a love that's been lost, and easier to find love once again.
This week, we discuss the Ever Given incident and its lasting implications on the shipping industry. Also, we pick our favorite boat memes.
This week, we discuss how our bodies and minds will deal with the anxiety of reentering society after a year in lockdown.
This week, we discuss Facebook’s wrist-worn concept, and what it says about the company’s plan for new human-computer interactions.
This week we talk about non-fungible token, digital art collectors, and what it's like to sell one of your tweets.
Even with breakthroughs like HoloLens and Pokemon Go, we are still a few years away from fulfilling AR’s biggest promises.
The Perseverance rover is positively packed with tech. We talk about the cameras, mics, and sensors doing science millions of miles away.
This week, we share our horror stories about trying to procure Sony’s elusive new gaming console. We also share tips for testing your own luck.
This week, we discuss crypto’s role in the future of shopping. When can we use it to buy everything from Nikes to Teslas?
This week, we discuss the boost Clubhouse got from a drop-in by Elon Musk, and how the platform is weathering its growing pains.
This week, we field listener queries about the vaccine’s rollout, how state and local governments are handling distribution, and when you’ll get your shot.
This week, we round up tips for staying organized, energized, and mostly sane as we all ride out the rest of the pandemic.
This week, we recap the news, trends, and stand-out gadgets from the first-ever virtual CES.
This week, we analyze how the social media platforms reacted to the events of January 6. We also offer our preview of what to expect next week at CES.
This week, we try to guess what the year ahead has in store. We also look back in shock at how wrong we were about 2020. Can't win 'em all.
This week, we discuss how holiday gift-giving has been influenced by the pandemic. Also, we list the things we’ll be giving, and offer some gift suggestions.
How The Tumult of 2020 Will Shape the Future of Ride Sharing
This week, we talk about the recent growth in ebikes, and we offer tips for those curious about riding one.
This week, we discuss the implications of Apple’s switch to using custom silicon in its Mac laptops and desktops.
This week, we discuss the impending arrival of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and how they’ll change the video game landscape.
This week, we discuss the issue on the ballot in Massachusetts that would open up access to the data stored on a car’s internal computer.
This week, we examine the possible implications of the US government’s complaint against Google, and how it could impact consumer technology.
This week, we discuss the new iPhones, from the inclusion of 5G in all four handsets, to the super-cute Mini model.
This week, we gather survival tips from the author of a book about how the always-on lifestyle has driven many of us to the breaking point.
This week, we talk about everything Google announced this week, plus Amazon's crazy flying surveillance drone.
This week, we discuss how the fight over the app might shape US tech policy and US-China relations for years to come.
This week, we break down Apple’s latest announcements, from the new hardware to its push into bundles and home workouts.
This week, we look at the latest gear from Peloton and discuss whether we’re ever going back to the gym.
This week, we discuss the security of mail-in voting (very good) and future of online ballots in the US (very unlikely).
This week, we discuss the growing trend of data from smart speakers and other connected devices being used to solve crimes.
This week, we discuss the ins and outs of encrypted messaging apps and videochat services.
This week, we look at the Microsoft Surface Duo and wonder if an expensive, dual-screen device like this one feels relevant, or just needlessly extravagant.
This week, we discuss the growing trend of mid-range smartphones, why they’re good, and why they’re bad.
This week, we list the Amazon Prime benefits you don’t know about, and tell you how to take advantage of them while you shelter in place.
This week, we discuss whether the Chinese-owned app is as much of a security risk as some claim, and where folks would go if the platform went dark.
A new podcast from WIRED about how the future is realized.
A new podcast from WIRED about how the future is realized.
This week, Recode’s Peter Kafka joins us to talk about Netflix’s dominance over the entertainment industry and how the streaming landscape continues to change.
This week, Angela Watercutter joins us to talk about why it's hard to unglue your eyes from bad news on social media. Plus, we share our tips for putting down the phone.
As the necessary shelter in place restrictions continue, we’re joined by WIRED’s Alan Henry and Adrienne So to talk about the technologies helping us pass the time.
This week, we discuss Apple’s big news, and we admit why we’re hoping tech conferences happen in real life (and not just online) sooner rather than later.
This week, we discuss the harassment campaign allegedly carried out by six former eBay employees against the owners of a news website critical of the ecommerce industry.
In some ways things are getting harder, not easier, as shelter-in-place orders lift worldwide. On this week's episode, we tackle tough new corona-questions.
This week, we discuss how tools developed in Silicon Valley are being used to erode the privacy and safety of citizens protesting police brutality.
This week, Gilad Edelman joins us to discuss the White House’s move against tech platforms, and how talk of the November election led us to this moment.
This week, we measure the impact of Silicon Valley’s shift to remote work. Also, we crash the Clubhouse.
This week, Andy Greenberg talks about his profile of hacker Marcus Hutchins, and we get an update on contact tracing programs helping to slow the pandemic.
How Will We Dine and Uber in the Post-Pandemic City?
This week, Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan tell us why they are planning their own critical care decisions now, well before Covid-19 forces them to do so under pressure.
This week, WIRED senior correspondent Adam Rogers talks about how we could go about reopening the country.
Some players in the tech industry are pivoting hard to address the global health crisis. But in many ways, business continues as usual.
On this week's podcast, we talk with staff writer Megan Molteni about the efforts to eradicate the virus. We also discuss Covid-19 testing in the US.
This week, we discuss the nationwide shortage of ventilators and protective equipment, and how we’re going to deal with it amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This week on Gadget Lab, we discuss how misinformation about the pandemic is being handled by the government, the media, and social platforms.
This week, we discuss why Italy has been hit so hard by the coronavirus, and we have tips for how parents can keep kids entertained as schools close.
This week's episode explores what happens when schools, conferences, and even offices shut down. Also: tips for working from home.
Steven Levy joins the show to discuss his new book, “Facebook: The Inside Story.”
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Textio CEO Kieran Snyder talks to WIRED about training computers to make human language more inclusive.
This week, Samsung hosted an event to show off Galaxy S20 phones, "Space Zoom" cameras and a new fold-y Flip. How seriously should we take these extravaganzas?
On this week's podcast, we discuss the coronavirus outbreak's impact on the economy, and the scary state of mobile voting security in the US.
On this week’s show, we talk about the Vine reboot Byte, and the Razr smartphone reboot, which now comes with a folding screen.
On this week’s podcast: hacking our oral hygiene with technology, and hacking espresso with science.
This week, the hosts debate whether one wheel is better than two, and whether a few buttons on a smartphone is better than none at all.
The Gadget Lab hosts look back at a show filled with fake-meat sliders, AI everything, and an ocean of electric scooters.
This week’s Gadget Lab podcast looks forward to CES 2020, where we expect to encounter facial-recognition tech in everything, the promise of 5G everywhere, and sex toys for everyone.
The Gadget Lab crew highlights their favorite things from this year, and then points ahead.
Computational biologist Laura Boykin collects cassava DNA with a pocket-sized gadget, then uses the data to fight the pathogens that threaten the vital staple crop.
Alex Davies helps us unpack the latest Tesla developments, and we share our favorite travel trips.
Former Facebook executive Chris Cox talks about his 13 years at Facebook and who he’s working with now.
Instagram and Apple made small changes to their products this week that could affect customers in a major way.
On this week’s podcast, we talk about Facebook rebranding, Google buying Fitbit, and what happens when big brands take over small, disparate products.
This week, we talk about Apple’s new AirPods, and the privacy challenges of smart speakers.
Independent video creators are seeking to unionize in a play for more transparency from YouTube. Emma Grey Ellis has the story on this week’s Gadget Lab.
WIRED Editor in Chief Nicholas Thompson joins us for a special edition of this week’s podcast, to discuss Facebook, Google, and facial recognition technology.
Webby founder and filmmaker Tiffany Shlain joins us to talk about her weekly tech Shabbat, a day in which her family abstains from any modern technology.
The company’s hardware chief discusses the state of mobile productivity, dual-screen devices, and why the Surface phone isn’t a phone.
Matt Simon tells us how the famous robot's deployment into the workplace could alter the future of human-robot relations.
Megan Molteni tells us about the gene-sequencing startup Nebula, and how its privacy practices could have a positive impact on the way we share personal information on the web.
We ask WIRED senior writer Lauren Goode to give her impressions of the iPhone launch in Cupertino this week.
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac charts the rise and fall of the ride-hailing company in his new book, Super Pumped. He joins us on the podcast to tell us everything that went wrong.
WIRED’s Paris Martineau joins the show to explain all the ways Facebook tracks your activity across Instagram and the rest of its mobile apps—even if your accounts aren’t linked to Facebook.
WIRED’s Matt Simon joins the show to talk about microplastics—what they are, why they’re a nightmare, and whether you should fret about eating them.
WIRED senior staff writer Nitasha Tiku takes us behind the scenes of her September cover story about inner turmoil at Google, the so-called happiest company in tech.
Jason Del Rey, host of Land of the Giants, a new podcast all about Amazon, joins the Gadget Lab to talk about the company’s quest for world domination.
WIRED writer Alex Davies joins us to discuss the challenges companies are facing as they race to get self-driving shuttles and delivery vehicles onto our streets.
The state of New York finally signed into law a bill criminalizing the spread of nonconsensual pornography, but Wired’s Emma Grey Ellis tells the Gadget Lab team that this new law is only a partial victory.
Twitter has launched its first major redesign in several years. The question is whether it’s enough to make a dent in the hate and harassment.
WIRED writer Gregory Barber explains the intricacies of Facebook’s ambitious plan to and how Libra is poised to rattle the future of crypto.
A conversation with Aza Raskin of the Center for Humane Technology. Also, we discuss Jony Ive’s departure from Apple.
Emily Dreyfuss joins us this week to discuss the larger implications of Genius’s fight with Google over song lyrics. Also, we get all tingly with ASMR.
Peter Rubin joins the show this week to tell us about the major announcements made at the videogame industry’s big conference.
The Gadget Lab team breaks down Apple’s annual software shindig, and tells you all you need to know about forthcoming updates for iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
An interview with Firewire Surfboards CEO Mark Price about how to make a surfboard without ruining the ocean.
David Eun, president of Samsung’s innovation arm NEXT, says younger consumers are shifting towards experiences, not things. What does that mean for a company that makes devices?
WIRED’s Emma Grey Ellis joins this week’s Gadget Lab podcast to explain the latest YouTube drama and discuss the implications of “cancel culture.”
It’s software conference season! In the latest Gadget Lab podcast, the team shares their takeaways from Facebook F8, Microsoft Build, and Google I/O.
The host of the new Discovery show "Savage Builds" and author of the new book "Every Tool’s a Hammer" joins us to talk about the joy and agony of making things.
We talk with right-to-repair advocate Nathan Proctor. Also: Samsung’s Galaxy Fold woes, and a preview of the next Sony PlayStation.
WIRED Transportation reporter Aarian Marshall joins us to talk about the Uber IPO and what it means for the future of ride-sharing ... and everything else Uber does
Game of Thrones is back––and so is the Citadel Dropouts podcast. Listen to Laura Hudson and Spencer Ackerman preview GoT season 8 in this new podcast on Wired.
An interview with war correspondent Kenneth R. Rosen, who is reporting from Syria for WIRED this month.
Contraceptives for men have been explored in some way since at least the 1950’s, but there haven’t been many viable options. A new sperm-reducing gel could change that.
Google’s just-announced cloud gaming service, Stadia, holds the promise of seamless, multi-device gaming. Is it too good to be true?
Caterina Fake says it’s time to ask whether tech should exist, rather than asking if it can exist or if funds are available for it.
Former Google communications exec Jessica Powell joins this weeks Gadget Lab podcast to talk about Facebooks manifestos, quitting Google, and why she absolutely refuses to get a brand-new phone.
Microsofts second-generation mixed reality headset has made a significant leap. But youre probably not going to buy one.
Samsung revealed not one, not two, but five new smartphones this week - including a folding phone. Axioss Ina Fried joins on this weeks Gadget Lab podcast.
Product designer Chris Messina snagged @chris as his Instagram name. Its been awesome -- and terrible. Plus: Amazon splits with NYC, on the Gadget Lab podcast.
Apple temporarily booted Facebook (and Google!) from its enterprise app program this week. You werent really surprised, were you? Plus: Details on Teslas new Model Y.
When it comes to delivery robots, design is almost as important as function. Matt Simon and Arielle Pardes discuss Amazons new robot, Scout, on this weeks podcast.
WIREDs Peter Rubin joins the Gadget Lab podcast to talk about his experience wearing Nikes newest self-adjusting sneakers. Plus: Nitasha Tiku weighs in on mandatory arbitration at tech companies.
WIREDs Gadget Lab team kicks off the new year with a wrap-up of the years biggest electronics show. Plus, an interview with Reddits Jen Wong.
Climate change is real, and its impacting us right now. How much of it can be fixed by personal responsibility versus policy?
The Year in Tech, in One Word
December 21, 201849min 13sec
If you had to sum up the year in tech in one word, what word would you choose? That’s what we at the Gadget Lab asked ourselves as we looked to somehow recap a year’s worth of tech-related drama in approximately 45 minutes. 2018 was the year that we learned about Cambridge Analytica; that social media’s role in the 2016 U.S. election came into sharper focus; that top tech executives were put in the Congressional hot seat; and that tech workers spoke out about everything from brutal work environments to how their firms’ technologies were being used by government agencies. At the same time, 2018 was also a year of remarkable advancements in artificial intelligence, space exploration, and even the future of transport. And at the very least, our increasing awareness of some of the tech industry’s practices could lead us to a place in the new year where we’re making better decisions about what’s good and what’s not-so-good for us tech-consuming mortals. That’s what we’re telling ourselves, anyway. Also on this week’s podcast, Lauren talks to Brynn Putnam, the founder and CEO of Mirror, a new digital health-and-fitness company that live streams workout classes through a mirror in your living room. The future of fitness has arrived, and we are never leaving our homes. Show notes: For a rundown of just some of the Facebook scandals that have happened this year, check out Issie Lapowsky’s story. And here’s Lauren’s story about new interactive fitness systems, including Mirror. Recommendations this week: Arielle recommends reading Charles Duhigg’s story about anger in the latest issue of The Atlantic. Mike recommends a podcast from Malcolm Gladwell called “Broken Record.” Lauren recommends taking advantage of the “screen time” dashboards on your smartphone, getting a sense of how much time you’re spending on non-essential tasks, and then really, truly, seriously guys, putting down your phone more in the new year. Send the Gadget Lab hosts feedback on their personal Twitter feeds. Arielle Pardes can be found at @pardesoteric. Lauren Goode is @laurengoode. Michael Calore can be found at @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. Our theme song is by Solar Keys. How to Listen You can always listen to this week’s podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here’s how: If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for Gadget Lab. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed. If you use Android, you can find us in the Google Play Music app just by tapping here. You can also download an app like Pocket Casts or Radio Public, and search for Gadget Lab. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed. We’re also on Soundcloud, and every episode gets