Host Keith Shaw and his expert guests discuss the latest technology news and trends happening in the industry. Watch new episodes twice each week here or listen to the podcast.
Apple finally enters the artificial intelligence space with its ‘personal intelligence’ tools – what does this mean for the market, competitors and, most importantly, users of Apple products? Will consumers who have been saying mostly ‘meh’ to AI now start using the tools? Computerworld’s Ken Mingis and Macworld’s Mike Simon join the show to discuss Apple’s AI announcements from WWDC 24, including what features they like best from the Apple Intelligence package.
Nvidia becomes a $3T company based on its latest AI chips (with Intel and AMD also in the game), leading the AI hype machine to go into overdrive. But at the same time, some are suggesting that the bubble is about to burst, and that AI investments may not pan out as users feel less enthusiastic. Computerworld contributing columnist and author Mike Elgan joins the show to discuss these and other technology news items from the past week.
While the technology job market remains vibrant and strong for many workers, people over the age of 50 are finding it more difficult to get a new job, or navigate past the layers of hiring with the institution of new AI screening tools. Keith talks with Christina Matz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work and director of the Center on Aging & Work, about why age discrimination still exists within much of the corporate world, including in the tech sector.
Between having an AI tool that recommends crazy suggestions like putting glue on pizza and a “leak” around how its search engine works, Google is facing lots of criticism about its technology and operations. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show this week to talk with the crew about Google’s issues, why general consumers are saying ‘meh’ to AI tools, and why the American worker is lonelier at work than ever before.
As computing has developed over the past four decades, we increasingly see products designed to be more ‘disposable’ rather than upgradeable or made to last longer. However, there are still bright spots within the ecosystem that allow consumers to get more out of their devices or extend their life. Keith chats with Larry O’Connor, founder and CEO of Other World Computing, about these issues, as well as how improving speeds through cables and connectors enabled more external products such as storage (and why Keith needs to backup his data more often).
Big Tech companies trying to roll out new AI tools face some blowback in recent weeks, whether it was OpenAI using a Scarlett Johannson-like voice (without her permission or licensing) to tout new voice AI features; or Microsoft hyping a new feature that takes screen shots of your computer every few seconds; or Google proudly announcing that AI overviews and paid sponsors will bury search results even further. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the show as guest co-host with the crew to discuss these and other top technology stories from the week.
Four years after most employees began using video calls for meetings, workers are discovering that they are still not good with the technology. In addition, a new survey suggests that video calls cause anxiety and fatigue. In this episode, Keith chats with Sylvia Johnson, head of methodology at Preply, about the survey and how we can ease the anxiety around video calls.
OpenAI launches a new AI model that lets users have voice conversations with ChatGPT, creating the world of ‘Her’. With rumors of Apple creating a “better Siri” at some point, are we getting to a world with better AI voice assistants? Guest co-host Chris Shaw joins the crew to discuss these topics and also news around autonomous vehicles making a comeback, why solar storms disrupted tractors in the Midwest, and whether people just don’t want to work anymore.
The onslaught of new artificial intelligence tools is causing burnout for many engineers, while another research paper suggests that AI will produce generic, bland content if humans don’t challenge the AI systems to be better. Also, Apple faces backlash for its ‘Crush’ ad promoting its new iPad, and TikTok heads to the courts to try and prevent its sale in the U.S. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the crew as guest co-host as they discuss these stories and other technology topics.
As businesses look to deploy artificial intelligence, many are concerned about making sure the systems are 100% accurate in their responses, and that ‘AI hallucinations’, where the system seems to make up answers, are eliminated. However, there are cases where AI hallucinations can be good for a business. Keith chats with Ryan Welsh, Field CTO for Generative AI at Qlik, about how companies can determine the right level of accuracy for their AI needs, and whether hallucinations are OK in certain situations.
Elon Musk gets rid of most of his Supercharger team, confusing and stunning others in the automotive industry, which leads us to ask whether Musk is playing chess while the rest of us play checkers. Chris Shaw, CMO of NTT Research, joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this with Keith and Chris. Also covered – UnitedHealth CEO admits a security failure that caused a huge ransomware attack, Google continues to act ‘evil’ with its latest layoffs, the Rabbit R1 gadget could have just been an Android app, and a Catholic group deploys an ‘AI priest’ chatbot with easily predictable disastrous effects.
Despite low unemployment numbers and reports of “plenty of jobs available” in the technology space, many job seekers are still struggling to find work. Encountering hurdles such as AI-driven applicant tracking systems, fake job listings, recruitment scams and ageism, many job seekers are becoming more frustrated. Keith chats with Chui Senanyake from The Job Helpers to see if there are other ways that job seekers can beat (or bypass) several of these hurdles.
The countdown clock for TikTok in the U.S. continues to run, as the Senate passes a bill and President Biden signs it into law, giving the Chinese-owned company up to a year to sell to a new owner, or face a U.S. ban. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host this week to discuss this news, as well as the ‘earthquake effect’ of the FTC’s ban on non-compete agreements for workers, and whether an AI dogfighting demonstration by the U.S. Air Force is just a dog-and-pony show.
Companies like Apple and Meta are grabbing the headlines for augmented and virtual reality technology (or calling it ‘spatial computing’), but is there still a market for the idea of mixed reality, which merges both technology into an augmented and virtual experience? Keith chats with Mark Day, CEO of AlensiaXR, about the history of XR’s ups and downs, and what it would take for the technology to become more mainstream with consumers and businesses.
While some company layoffs at companies like Tesla and Rivian indicate a lower demand for electric vehicles, companies like Google and Best Buy may have said the quiet part out loud – investments in AI might be one of the reasons they are letting people go. Keith and Chris talk with guest co-host Brandon Mahne about the reasons behind the latest bunch of tech layoffs, as well as whether anyone will buy an AI PC, and why the Fallout TV show hit a home run with viewers and gamers alike.
Advances in battery performance, design, form factors and lightweight materials are all contributing to a potential boost in wearable computing devices that move beyond the smart watch. Whether devices will be worn on your face, neck, hands or even feet, companies are looking to find new ways for users to monitor their health or provide other data for convenience purposes. Keith chats with Semir Haddad, chief product and strategy officer for MicroEJ, about the new world of wearables we might see in the next five years.
With the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro and renewed interest in virtual reality offerings by Meta, it looks like shipments of the devices will grow in 2024 and beyond. Keith chats with IDC’s Ramon Llamas about the impact of Apple’s entrance into the market, and what the future holds for the augmented reality / virtual reality / mixed reality / spatial computing world.
OpenAI announces a tool that can clone a person’s voice based only on a 15-second audio clip, while a song generator can now generate a three-minute song from natural language prompts. Brandon Mahne joins the crew as guest co-host as they also discuss Amazon ditching its ‘Just Walk Out’ grocery technology, and we find out who was really responsible for the MGM Resorts hack.
The rise of social media addiction and behavioral issues has also corresponded with the rise of smartphone usage, especially among adolescents. When talking about the behavioral issues caused by social media addiction, how much of this can also be attributed to a device that we have attached to our hip almost 24 hours a day? Keith chats with Professor Joseph Trunzo, a professor of psychology at Bryant University about how smartphones are affecting behaviors, as well as whether there will be long-term effects of social media addiction as this generation moves into the workforce.
FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried will be in federal prison for a very long time for his role in conspiracy and fraud charges from the collapse of the crypto exchange he started. Guest co-host Brandon Mahne joins Keith and Chris to discuss these and other tech stories of the week, including the under-the-radar rise of NVIDIA and Anthropic, as well as the new AI song-writing tool that everyone is obsessed with.
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