logo
episode-header-image
May 2
1h 7m

The Dangers of A.I. Flattery + Kevin Mee...

The New York Times
About this episode

This week we dig into the ways chatbots are starting to manipulate us, including ChatGPT’s sycophantic update, Meta’s digital companionship turn and a secret experiment run on Reddit users. Then Kevin reports back from the unveiling of a new eye-scanning orb. And finally, we’re joined by PJ Vogt for a brand-new segment called Group Chat Chat.

Tickets to “Hard Fork Live” on June 24 are sold out. You can join the wait list here to be alerted if additional tickets become available.


Guest:


Additional Reading:


We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Up next
Aug 22
Is This an A.I. Bubble? + Meta’s Missing Morals + TikTok Shock Slop
Note: This episode contains sexually explicit music.This week, the whole tech world seemed to be asking: Are we in an A.I. bubble? We’ll explore the cases for and against, including who we think stands to lose most. Then we’re joined by the journalist Jeff Horwitz to discuss his ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 15
GPT-5 Backlash + Perplexity C.E.O. Aravind Srinivas on the Browser Wars + Hot Mess Express
OpenAI spent the week responding to outcry from users who miss the behavior of the old ChatGPT, before the latest flagship model was released.We discuss the criticism, why it caught the company by surprise and what it indicates about the deepening emotional relationships that peo ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 8
GPT-5 Arrives, and We Try the New Alexa+
This week, OpenAI released its much-anticipated flagship model, GPT-5. We break down what we know about the upgrade, drawing from our initial testing and a special news briefing with Sam Altman. Then, we explain why we were underwhelmed by Amazon’s new Alexa+, which is powered by ... Show More
1h 12m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
China Challenges Silicon Valley for A.I. Dominance
Financial markets went into a panic last week over an obscure Chinese tech start-up called DeepSeek. The company now threatens to upend the world of artificial intelligence and the race for who will dominate it.Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at The Times, discusses how DeepSeek ca ... Show More
23m 16s
Jan 2025
What’s Going On With Google Gemini Deep Research? | E2072
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… PrizePicks. TWiST listeners, download the app today and use code TWIST to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup! Go to: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/TWIST PrizePicks - Run your game. Coda. TWiST listeners get 6 mon ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2025
$200M woolly mammoths and a farewell to TikTok
The clock is set to run out on TikTok over the weekend, following the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the ban. So, what’s next for the video-sharing app’s 170 million U.S. users?On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Anthony ... Show More
32m 37s
Jul 9
IM 827: Marco Rubio on Line 1 - The Promise of Personalized Software
Interview with Mike Masnick Stop Begging Billionaires To Fix Software — Build Your Own The one secret to using genAI to boost your brain Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of Elon Musk's X How the Owner of Hidden Valley Ranch Learned to Love AI As an M.D, here's my 100% honest opi ... Show More
2h 48m
Aug 2024
We Flirted with AI Chatbots of Ourselves
On this episode of Chuckle Sandwich, Ted and Schlatt go head to head and attempt to seduce each other's AI Chatbot on Character AI - We think you can imagine how this goes. Enjoy! Download the Zocdoc app for free at https://www.zocdoc.com/chuckle To watch the podcast on YouTube: ... Show More
1h 3m
Nov 2021
Larry Gadea, Envoy
The way COVID-19 has changed the way we work comes up a lot, founders have had to pivot and innovate to build companies during lockdown but the workplace restrictions seemed to spark inspiration for this week's guest, Larry Gadea, founder, and CEO of Envoy. Envoy started in 2013 ... Show More
50m 39s
Nov 2024
The TED AI Show: An AI chatbot that talks back w/ ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode
When it comes to preparing for an interview or making an important life decision, more and more people are turning to AI for advice. ChatGPT’s new voice interface, Advanced Voice Mode, allows users to speak out loud and converse with a chatbot as they would with another human — b ... Show More
30m 38s
Jul 13
TWiT 1040: The $100,000 Stapler - Veo 3 and Deepfakes
A New Era of Internet Regulation Is About to Begin Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK House "crypto week" could change how Americans use, save money Latest stablecoin bill addresses foreign ... Show More
3h 8m
Nov 2024
414: ‘Annoying Friendliness’, With Joanna Stern
Joanna Stern returns to the show to talk about our new best friends, AI chatbots, and I chime in with how the Voight-Kampff test got it all wrong. Sponsored by: WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS — free up to 1 million monthly active users. Squarespace: Make your n ... Show More
1h 54m
Apr 2021
SLP265 Diverter - Becoming Uncle Jim: Being Digital Sherpa for Family & Friends
Diverter joins me on the show to talk about our modern world of surveillance and reliance on third parties. We chat about learning to be a ‘digital sherpa’ for your family and friends. Dealing with “I don’t have anything to hide” Password managers Nextcloud Yunohost Self hosting ... Show More
57m 25s