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Episodes (200)
From The Big Story: Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here's What Happened
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop He shed his identity with the goal of disappearing for one month. Then the manhunt began. Written by Evan Ratliff. Originally published on November 20th, 2009. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 21, 20261h 9m
From The Big Story: Nathan Fielder Tells Us Everything
Including what Elizabeth Holmes said to him last week. A WIRED exclusive interview with the comic auteur, as his first feature film hits theaters. The conversation between Katie Drummond and Nathan Fielder is performed by voice actors. These are not their actual voices. Written by Katie Drummond. Originally published on October 19th, 2026. Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 19, 202650 min
From The Big Story: A College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to Work
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Maddie Kowalski is one of countless young women who’ve had their lives destroyed by the burnerverse, a loosely connected online community of sports fans. Now she’s fighting back. Written by EJ Dickson. Originally published on September 14th, 2026. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 18, 202648 min
From The Big Story: The Accidental Zillionaire
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Microsoft spawned two billionaires. Paul Allen is the other one. Written by Paulina Borsook. Originally published on August 1st, 1994. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 16, 20261h 0m
From The Big Story: In Search of the Heart of the Online-Cat Industrial Complex
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop A cat wearing a short tie plays music on a cat-shaped keyboard (“Pancake Meowsic Video,” 185,459 views). A woman performs sun salutations with a cat on her back (“Cat Loves Yoga,” 1,539 views). A man slaps two cats on an ironing board to the beat of “Atmosphere” (“Cat Slap Joy Division,” 357,605 views). Written by Gideon Lewis-Kraus. Originally published on August 31st, 2012. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 14, 202645 min
From The Big Story: The Internet Runs on Cats and Porn. It’s About to Get Cattier and Pornier
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Soon, hundreds of new top-level domains, including .meow and .fart, could be added to the internet. WIRED goes inside the backroom shenanigans of ICANN, the organization at the helm. Written by Pete Millspaugh. Originally published on October 6th, 2026. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 11, 202633 min
From The Big Story: Billions Registered
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Right now, there are no rules to keep you from owning a bitchin’ corporate name as your own internet address. Written by Joshua Quittner. Originally published on October 1st, 1994. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 9, 202629 min
From The Big Story: Why the Future Doesn't Need Us
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Our most powerful 21st-century technologies—robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech—are threatening to make humans an endangered species. Written by Bill Joy. Originally published on April 1st, 2000. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 7, 20261h 18m
From The Big Story: Choke Points
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Lost time. Lost jobs. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost Lives. How Israeli checkpoints suffocate Palestinian life in the occupied West Bank. Written by Lama Rabah, Sabrina Slipchenko, Charles Boutaud, Firas Tawil and Elena DeBre. Originally published on September 30th 2026. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 4, 202636 min
From The Big Story: How a Research Blog Took on Big Surveillance in China—and Won
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Digging through manuals for security cameras, a group of gearheads found sinister details and ignited a new battle in the US-China tech war. Written by Amos Zeeberg. Originally published on April 4th, 2023. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 2, 202638 min
From The Big Story: Greetings From Burning Man!
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop Dispatches from the New American Holiday: Writer Bruce Sterling takes the kids to the Temporary Autonomous Zone, where survival is a personal choice. Written by Bruce Sterling. Originally published in WIRED on November 1st, 1996. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 30, 202630 min
From The Big Story: She's 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can't Have Kids
No IVF. No surrogacy. No polygenic tests. Emma Waters is leading a national fight against fertility tech—with her hot husband’s permission, of course.For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 27, 202639 min
From The Big Story: Sayaka Murata Inhabits a Planet of Her Own
Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop The novelist makes the Earthly rituals of sex, marriage, childbirth—and all of human life—appear delightfully outlandish. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining stories from our favorite human writers, subscribe to The Big Story newsletter: https://www.wired.com/newsletter/the-big-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 25, 202626 min
Open Source AI Has Founders—and the FTC—Buzzing
DC went to YC to talk OS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 31, 202411 min
Bitcoin Bros Go Wild for Donald Trump
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
Jul 30, 202414 min
Polluted Lakes Are Being Cleansed Using Floating Wetlands Made of Trash
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
Jul 29, 202413 min
At The Olympics, AI Is Watching You
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
Jul 26, 202410 min
Here's What Happens When You Give People Free Money (They Get Poorer)
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
Jul 25, 20247 min
RealPage Says Rental Pricing Tech Is Misunderstood, but Landlords Aren’t So Sure
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
Jul 24, 202413 min
Waymo Is Suing People Who Allegedly Smashed and Slashed Its Robotaxis
The Alphabet-owned driverless car service is getting aggressive against alleged vandals after a series of violent incidents in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 23, 20249 min
J.D. Vance Left His Venmo Public. Here’s What It Shows
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
Jul 22, 202412 min
Spotify, Stop Trying to Become a Social Media App
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
Jul 19, 20248 min
Paris Mayor Defies Poo Threats to Swim in Seine, and Prove a Point
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
Jul 18, 202410 min
Tiny Texas Village Seeks Billion-Dollar Bitcoin Miner to Pave Potholes, Scare Dogs Away
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
Jul 17, 202412 min
Pressure Grows in Congress to Treat Crypto Investigator Tigran Gambaryan, Jailed in Nigeria, as a Hostage
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
Jul 16, 202410 min
How Watermelon Cupcakes Kicked Off an Internal Storm at Meta
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
Jul 15, 202415 min
Apple to Allow Rivals to Access ‘Tap and Go’ Technology
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
Jul 12, 20245 min
Epic Games Lashes Out at Apple Over App Store Rejection
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
Jul 11, 20246 min
What Will Plants Be Like on Alien Worlds?
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
Jul 10, 202411 min
How Labour Can Fix the UK’s Tech Industry
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
Jul 9, 202411 min
After a 10 Year Wait, Mt. Gox Bitcoin Is Finally Being Returned
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
Jul 8, 202412 min
Hurricane Beryl Isn’t a Freak Storm—It’s the Exact Nightmare Meteorologists Predicted
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
Jul 4, 20248 min
Leading Lab-Grown Meat Company Cuts Dozens of Jobs
Upside Foods is slashing staff, citing legislative, regulatory, and funding headwinds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 3, 20247 min
Meta's Pay for Privacy Model Is Illegal, Says EU
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
Jul 2, 20246 min
French AI Startups Felt Unstoppable. Then Came the Election
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
Jul 1, 202410 min
OpenAI Wants AI to Help Humans Train AI
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
Jun 28, 20247 min
Air So Polluted It Can Kill Isn’t Being Taken Seriously Enough
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
Jun 27, 20247 min
The Julian Assange Saga Is Finally Over
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
Jun 26, 20247 min
Post-Pandemic Recovery Isn’t Guaranteed
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
Jun 25, 20244 min
Perplexity Plagiarized Our Story About How Perplexity Is a B******t Machine
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
Jun 24, 202413 min
Potatoes Are the Perfect Vegetable—but You’re Eating Them Wrong
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
Jun 21, 202412 min
STEM Students Refuse to Work at Google and Amazon Over Project Nimbus
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
Jun 20, 20246 min
Banks Are Finally Realizing What Climate Change Will Do to Housing
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
Jun 19, 202413 min
AI Is Coming for Big Tech Jobs—but Not in the Way You Think
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
Jun 18, 20249 min
I Spent a Week Eating Discarded Restaurant Food. But Was It Really Going to Waste?
Food app Too Good To Go promises to cut waste by directing hungry bargain hunters to leftover restaurant food. But the week we spent living off the app had me wondering if Too Good To Go is too good to be true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 17, 202414 min
From the Archives: Scientists Have Finally Found the Origins of a Mysterious Asteroid
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
Jun 14, 20249 min
Apple Proved That AI Is a Feature, Not a Product
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
Jun 14, 20248 min
US National Security Experts Warn AI Giants Aren't Doing Enough to Protect Their Secrets
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
Jun 13, 20249 min
From the Archives: The ‘Green’ Future of Furniture Is a Sofa Stuffed With Seaweed
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
Jun 12, 20247 min
An AI Cartoon May Interview You For Your Next Job
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
Jun 12, 20249 min
The Snowflake Attack May Be Turning Into One of the Largest Data Breaches Ever
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
Jun 11, 202411 min
The Case for MDMA's Approval Is Riddled With Problems
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
Jun 10, 202412 min
From the Archives: Energy Drinks Are Out of Control
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
Jun 9, 202412 min
From the Archives: Here Come the Glow-in-the-Dark Houseplants
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
Jun 8, 202410 min
From the Archives: What Will Plants Be Like on Alien Worlds?
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
Jun 7, 202410 min
Marc Andreessen Called Online Safety Teams an Enemy. He Still Wants Walled Gardens for His Kid
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
Jun 7, 20247 min
From the Archives: A Medieval French Skeleton Is Rewriting the History of Syphilis
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
Jun 6, 202413 min
An American Company Enabled a North Korean Scam That Raised Money for WMDs
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
Jun 6, 20248 min
AI Is Your Coworker Now. Can You Trust It?
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
Jun 5, 202410 min
The Ticketmaster Data Breach May Be Just the Beginning
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
Jun 4, 202410 min
Google's AI Overviews Will Always Be Broken. That's How AI Works
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
Jun 3, 20249 min
What Ever Happened to the Tiny House Movement?
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
Jun 2, 202411 min
DART Showed How to Smash an Asteroid. So Where Did the Space Shrapnel Go?
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
May 31, 202410 min
'Largest Botnet Ever’ Tied to Billions in Stolen Covid-19 Relief Funds
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
May 31, 20247 min
Why Some Animals Thrive in Cities
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
May 30, 202411 min
From Science, Spoken: Why Antidepressants Take So Long to Work
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
May 29, 202413 min
Anduril Is Building Out the Pentagon’s Dream of Deadly Drone Swarms
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
May 29, 202413 min
What’s Up With These Crazy Northern Lights?
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
May 27, 202410 min
Most US TikTok Creators Don’t Think a Ban Will Happen
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
May 24, 20248 min
What Scarlett Johansson v. OpenAI Could Look Like in Court
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
May 23, 20249 min
Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare
We're bringing you a special episode from our Business, Spoken show. Check it out wherever you're listening. Tech companies have laid off more than 400,000 people in the past two years. Competition for the jobs that remain is getting more and more desperate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 22, 20249 min
Crypto Astrologers See Price Moves in the Stars
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
May 22, 202411 min
The End of ‘iPhone’
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
May 21, 20249 min
A Huge Scam Targeting Kids With Roblox and Fortnite ‘Offers’ Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight
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
May 19, 202413 min
Prepare to Get Manipulated by Emotionally Expressive Chatbots
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
May 17, 20246 min
These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid
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
May 16, 202411 min
Tornado Cash Developer Found Guilty of Laundering $1.2 Billion of Crypto
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
May 15, 20247 min
Generative AI Doesn’t Make Hardware Less Hard
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
May 14, 202412 min
Elon Musk's Neuralink Had a Brain Implant Setback. It May Come Down to Design
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
May 13, 202410 min
How Not to Get Brain-Eating Worms and Mercury Poisoning
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
May 10, 20249 min
OpenAI Is ‘Exploring’ How to Responsibly Generate AI Porn
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
May 9, 20246 min
OpenAI Offers an Olive Branch to Artists Wary of Feeding AI Algorithms
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
May 8, 20248 min
No One Knows How Far Bird Flu Has Spread
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
May 7, 20248 min
The US Government Is Asking Big Tech to Promise Better Cybersecurity
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
May 2, 202412 min
The White House Has a New Master Plan to Stop Worst-Case Scenarios
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
May 1, 202411 min
Net Neutrality Returns to a Very Different Internet
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
Apr 30, 20249 min
Net Neutrality Returns to a Very Different Internet
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
Apr 29, 20249 min
Ads for Explicit ‘AI Girlfriends’ Are Swarming Facebook and Instagram
WIRED found thousands of ads running on Meta’s social platforms promoting sexually explicit “AI girlfriend” apps. Some human sex workers say the platform unfairly polices their own posts more harshly. 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
Apr 26, 202412 min
Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam
A new rule from the US Federal Trade Commission invalidates most noncompete agreements, frequently used to bind tech workers. It could unlock higher wages, and more entrepreneurship and innovation. 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
Apr 25, 20248 min
Bitcoin Miners Brace for the ‘Halving’—and Race to Cash In
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
Apr 24, 20249 min
Plant-Based Meat Boomed. Here Comes the Bust
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
Apr 23, 20247 min
The Real-Time Deepfake Romance Scams Have Arrived
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
Apr 22, 202413 min
What If Your AI Girlfriend Hated You?
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
Apr 19, 20247 min
How One Author Pushed the Limits of AI Copyright
Elisa Shupe was initially rebuffed when she tried to copyright a book she wrote with help from ChatGPT. Now the US Copyright Office has changed course—but there’s a catch. 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
Apr 18, 202413 min
Google Workers Protest Cloud Contract With Israel's Government
Google employees are staging sit-ins and protests at company offices in New York and California over “Project Nimbus,” a cloud contract with Israel's government, as the country's war with Hamas continues. 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
Apr 17, 20248 min
It Takes Guts, Not College, to Fix Wind Turbines for a Living
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
Apr 16, 20247 min
Bird Flu Is Spreading in Alarming New Ways
H5N1 has infected cattle across the US and jumped from a mammal to a human for the first time. Experts fear it may someday evolve to spread among humans. 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
Apr 15, 202412 min
Eric Schmidt Warned Against China’s AI Industry. Emails Show He Also Sought Connections to It
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
Apr 12, 202413 min
Europe Rules That Insufficient Climate Change Action Is a Human Rights Violation
In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Human Rights found that Switzerland had not done enough to protect its citizens from climate change—blowing open the door for further cases against governments. 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
Apr 11, 20249 min
Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI
Turnitin, a service that checks papers for plagiarism, says its detection tool found millions of papers that may have a significant amount of AI-generated content. 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
Apr 10, 20248 min
How I Became a Python Programmer—and Fell Out of Love With the Machine
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
Apr 9, 202410 min
A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC’s Attention. Do His Claims Add Up?
Zen Goziker worked at TikTok for only six months. Many of his allegations about the company and the US government are improbable. But he still may have shaped how the app is viewed in Washington. 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
Apr 8, 202412 min
OpenAI’s GPT Store Is Triggering Copyright Complaints
A publisher says some chatbots in OpenAI’s GPT Store were created using its copyrighted textbooks. OpenAI has taken down some of the bots but could face more complaints from rights holders. 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
Apr 5, 202411 min
Meta Kills a Crucial Transparency Tool At the Worst Possible Time
CrowdTangle helps researchers track disinformation, but Meta will close it down before the US election. The tool's cofounder, Brandon Silverman, says it's time to force companies to share data. 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
Apr 4, 20249 min
Citizen Zoo Is Rewilding the UK, One Grasshopper at a 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
Apr 3, 202410 min
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing
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
Apr 2, 202410 min
Smartphones Do or Don’t Harm Kids! So Which Is It?
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
Apr 1, 202412 min
The Earth Will Feast on Dead Cicadas
Two cicada broods, XIX and XIII, are emerging in sync for the first time in 221 years. Birds, trees, and dirt are about to get the banquet of a lifetime. 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
Mar 29, 202410 min
The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is About to Get Even Messier
Closing the city’s seaport will send shockwaves across global shipping. Supersized container ships pose a growing risk to bridges and other infrastructure when things go wrong. 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
Mar 28, 20247 min
Enjoy Your Favorite Wine Before Climate Change Destroys It
Extreme heat and droughts are making it harder to grow grapes in many traditional regions. Here’s how scientists are helping the industry adapt. 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
Mar 27, 202412 min
A Deepfake Nude Generator Reveals a Chilling Look at Its Victims
WIRED reporting uncovered a site that “nudifies” photos for a fee—and posts a feed appearing to show user uploads. They included photos of young girls and images seemingly taken of strangers. 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
Mar 26, 202413 min
Why You Hear Voices in Your White Noise Machine
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
Mar 25, 20249 min
The Feds Are Trying to Get Plants to Mine Metal Through Their Roots
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
Mar 22, 20249 min
The World Needs to Crack Battery Recycling, Fast
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
Mar 21, 202410 min
Why Is the Slack Hold Music So Haunted and So Good?
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
Mar 20, 202411 min
The Designer Who’s Trying to Transform Your City Into a Sponge
Kongjian Yu pioneered China’s “sponge city” concept—less concrete and more green spaces to exploit stormwater instead of fighting it. Metropolises all over the world are following suit. 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
Mar 19, 20249 min
States Are Lining Up to Outlaw Lab-Grown Meat
Around 46 million Americans live in states that have introduced bills to ban cultivated meat, the latest escalation in a surprising culture war. 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
Mar 18, 202411 min
Regulators Need AI Expertise. They Can’t Afford It
The European AI Office and the UK government are trying to hire experts to study and regulate the AI boom—but are offering salaries far short of industry compensation. 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
Mar 15, 20249 min
Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired
Hundreds of thousands of tech workers have been laid off since 2022. Some who don’t fit the young coder archetype say being more experienced can feel like a disadvantage. 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
Mar 14, 202411 min
Rampant Wildfires Are Threatening a Collapse of the Amazon Rainforest
Rainforests in South America are burning this year faster than ever before, setting the course for a collapse of the Amazon in the coming decades. 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
Mar 13, 202410 min
The Quest to Give AI Chatbots a Hand—and an Arm
Robotics startup Covariant is experimenting with a ChatGPT-style chatbot that can control a robotic arm, as a way to create machines that can be more helpful in the physical 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
Mar 12, 20248 min
Apple Could Be the First Target of Europe's Tough New Tech Law
An architect of the EU's tough new Digital Markets Acts says Apple would be a logical first candidate for investigation under the law, which aims to “break open” tech platforms. 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
Mar 11, 20248 min
Europe Is Breaking Open the Empires of Big Tech
Tech giants have to comply with a new EU law that is set to change the internet. It aims to force open the biggest platforms to encourage competition and give users more choice in their digital lives. 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
Mar 8, 202410 min
Scientists Are Inching Closer to Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth
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
Mar 7, 202410 min
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Trump Trial Ransomware Leak
The notorious LockBit gang promised a Georgia court leak "that could affect the upcoming US election.” It didn't materialize—but the story may not be over yet. 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
Mar 6, 202410 min
Google’s Deal With StackOverflow Is the Latest Proof That AI Giants Will Pay for Data
StackOverflow’s programming community will power a version of Google’s Gemini chatbot. It’s part of a new breed of AI data licensing deals with websites seeking a cut of the generative AI boom. 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
Mar 5, 20247 min
Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against a Group That Found Hate Speech on X Isn’t Going Well
X alleges that the Center for Countering Digital Hate cost it millions by showing that hate speech was spreading on the platform. In a hearing Thursday, a federal judge sounded skeptical of those claims. 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
Mar 4, 20249 min
Tesla’s Charging Network is Now Open to Other EVs and Ford Is First In Line
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
Mar 1, 20247 min
RIP Apple Car. This Is Why It Died
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
Feb 29, 20249 min
A Discarded Plan to Build Underwater Cities Will Give Coral Reefs New Life
A 1970s plan to grow underwater limestone objects has been repurposed as a way of regenerating the seabed, reestablishing corals, and stopping coastal erosion. 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
Feb 28, 20245 min
Neuralink’s First Brain Implant Is Working. Elon Musk’s Transparency Isn’t
Elon Musk says Neuralink’s first human trial subject can control a computer mouse with their brain, but some researchers are frustrated by a lack of information about the study. 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
Feb 27, 202410 min
Google Tweaked Search to Comply With EU Rules. Yelp Says It Makes Results Even More Unfair
Google says its new designs comply with the Digital Markets Act, which bars platforms from favoring their own tools. Yelp says tests show one tweak made people even more likely to stick with Google. 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
Feb 26, 202411 min
This Small Wearable Device Reduces Parkinson’s Symptoms
People with Parkinson’s have fewer tremors when they receive rhythmic physical stimulation—so a UK startup has created a coin-sized vibrating device to help patients move more easily. 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
Feb 23, 20246 min
Climate Finance Is Targeting the Wrong Industries
Roughly half of the world’s emissions currently can’t be reduced, yet green investment continues to avoid the sectors that need the most help—manufacturing, agriculture, and the built environment. 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
Feb 22, 20246 min
AI Is Coming for the Experts. First, It Needs Their Help
A new workforce of language experts, creative writers, and nuclear physicists are turning to data labor—and potentially making their future jobs obsolete in the process. 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
Feb 21, 202412 min
A Virus Found in Wastewater Beat Back a Woman’s ‘Zombie’ Bacteria
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
Feb 20, 202411 min
The Feds Just Bet Even Bigger on American-Made Heat Pumps
The US Department of Energy is announcing another $63 million to supercharge domestic manufacturing of the devices—in the name of national, energy, and climate security. 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
Feb 19, 20247 min
Smoking Alters Your Immune System for Years After You Quit
By switching genes on and off, cigarettes have a long-lasting effect on immunity, and appear to shape your immune system just as much as aging. 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
Feb 16, 202410 min
AI Is Rewiring Coders’ Brains. Yours May Be Next
The CEO of GitHub says half of all code produced by users of the Copilot programming helper is now AI-generated—but that there’s no sign the technology will replace human coders. 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
Feb 15, 20247 min
Who Tests If Heat-Proof Clothing Actually Works? These Poor Sweating Mannequins
These mannequins undergo daily torture at the hands of textile scientists, but their suffering means we humans can have future-proofed clothing capable of handling our warming 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
Feb 14, 20247 min
Developers Are in Open Revolt Over Apple’s New App Store Rules
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
Feb 13, 20249 min
The Far-Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner
Known for doing business with far-right extremist websites, Epik has been acquired by a company that specializes in helping businesses keep their operations secret. 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
Feb 12, 202411 min
Google Prepares for a Future Where Search Isn’t King
CEO Sundar Pichai tells WIRED that Google's new, more powerful Gemini chatbot is an experiment in offering users a way to find information and get things done without a search engine. 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
Feb 9, 20249 min
A Study at the Center of the Abortion Pill Battle Was Just Retracted
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
Feb 8, 20249 min
Mystery Company Linked to Biden Robocall Identified by New Hampshire Attorney General
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
Feb 7, 20245 min
A Startup Allegedly ‘Hacked the World.’ Then Came the Censorship—and Now the Backlash
A loose coalition of anti-censorship voices is working to highlight the legal threats aimed at making reports of one Indian company’s hacker-for-hire past disappear. 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
Feb 6, 202414 min
You Can’t Buy Lab-Grown Meat Even If You Wanted To
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
Feb 5, 20249 min
A Cheaper Tesla Model Is Coming in 2025 as Chinese Competition Intensifies
A low-cost model of Tesla will launch in 2025, CEO Elon Musk told investors. It could help the EV maker compete with BYD and other surging Chinese automakers. 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
Feb 2, 20248 min
Comcast’s Xfinity Stores Your Sensitive Data. You Can Kind of Opt Out
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
Feb 1, 20246 min
Big-Name Targets Push Midnight Blizzard Hacking Spree Back Into the Limelight
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
Jan 31, 20248 min
Apple Isn’t Ready to Release Its Grip on the App Store
In response to new rules, the iPhone maker announced drastic changes for users in Europe. But criticism is mounting that Apple’s new system only recreates old problems. 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
Jan 30, 20249 min
Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs
Two fake-audio experts say that the deepfake robocall of President Biden received by some voters was likely created with technology from Silicon Valley’s favorite voice-cloning startup. 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
Jan 29, 20249 min
This Chatbot Screens Your Dating App Matches for You
Users of the new dating app Volar train a chatbot to go on virtual first dates for them with the bots of potential matches. We tested it out. 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
Jan 26, 20249 min
No, the Great Tech Layoffs of 2023 Aren’t Happening Again
Amazon, Discord, Duolingo, and Google all started 2024 with job cuts. But the tech job market isn’t facing the same trouble it did last year. 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
Jan 25, 20247 min
This Chinese Startup Is Winning the Open Source AI Race
Kai-Fu Lee, an AI expert and prominent investor who helped Google and Microsoft get established in China, says his new startup 01.AI will create the first “killer apps” of generative AI. 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
Jan 24, 202412 min
ChatGPT's Hunger for Energy Could Trigger a GPU Revolution
With AI projects booming and the physical limits of silicon looming, some startups are challenging Nvidia's dominance and say it’s time to reinvent the computer chip entirely. 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
Jan 23, 20248 min
Trawling Boats Are Hauling Up Ancient Carbon From the Ocean Depths
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
Jan 22, 20248 min
The Murky Campaign to Discredit Lab-Grown Meat
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
Jan 19, 202410 min
Why Tech Workers Are Ditching Big Cities for Boise
Idaho’s capital city is seeing an influx of young people as they apply for tech jobs away from big coastal cities amid massive layoffs and a disillusion with Big Tech. 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
Jan 18, 20249 min
These Mining Companies Are Ready to Raid the Seabed
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
Jan 17, 20249 min
Congress Wants Tech Companies to Pay Up for AI Training Data
At a Senate hearing on AI’s impact on journalism, lawmakers backed media industry calls to make OpenAI and other tech companies pay to license news articles and other data used to train algorithms. 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
Jan 16, 20248 min
Scammy AI-Generated Books Are Flooding Amazon
Authors keep finding what appear to be AI-generated imitations and summaries of their books on Amazon. There's little they can do to rein in the rip-offs. 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
Jan 15, 202410 min
The White House Just Announced a $623 Million EV-Charging Bonanza
Electric vehicle charging stations are still scarce in many parts of the US. The White House announced grants totaling $623 million to top up electric cars, bikes, and scooters. 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
Jan 12, 20248 min
Air Pollution Is Ruining Your Skin
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
Jan 11, 20247 min
In Defense of AI Hallucinations
Chatbots’ habit of spewing untruths is a big problem—but we should also celebrate these hallucinations as prompts for human creativity and a barrier to machines taking over. 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
Jan 10, 202412 min
Spying on Beavers From Space Could Help Save California
A group of scientists taught an algorithm to spot beaver ponds in satellite imagery, which has the potential to help drought-ridden areas like California bounce back. 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
Jan 9, 202413 min
They Had PTSD. A Psychedelic Called Ibogaine Helped Them Get Better
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
Jan 8, 202410 min
The Plan to Put Pig Genes in Soy Beans for Tastier Fake Meat
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
Jan 5, 20247 min
This Ultrasound Bra Could Detect Cancer Sooner
Inspired by her aunt’s battle with cancer, Canan Dağdeviren developed a wearable ultrasound monitor that can screen women between regular checkups. She says it could save 12 million lives a year. 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
Jan 4, 20246 min
What Are ‘Missed Period Pills,’ and How Do They Work?
Menstrual regulation—sometimes referred to as “missed period pills"—is a new front in women's battle for bodily autonomy. Here's how it works and what you need to know. 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
Jan 3, 202410 min
Your Money Is Funding Fossil Fuels Without You Knowing It
Banks use your deposits to make loans to carbon-intensive industries. A new analysis finds that $1,000 in your account creates emissions equal to a flight from NYC to Seattle. 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
Jan 1, 20248 min
How to Stop Another OpenAI Meltdown
OpenAI designed its governance structure to protect humanity—and it imploded. The company could take pointers from Mozilla and other projects combining lofty goals with for-profit ventures. 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
Dec 25, 202315 min
Sorry California, Amazon Will No Longer Sell You Donkey Meat
As part of a settlement with a horse welfare nonprofit, Amazon will no longer sell products containing “ejiao,” which is made with donkey skin. 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
Dec 22, 20236 min
What Happens When Facebook Heats Your Home
Big Tech data centers are not only being used to power the internet but also to heat people’s homes. But who’s really winning when Facebook keeps you warm at night? 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
Dec 21, 202310 min
Google’s App Store Monopoly Ruled Illegal as Jury Sides With Epic
A jury in San Francisco unanimously found that Google stifled competition for its app store. A judge will now decide on what fixes to require at the company, but appeals could delay the impact of the case for years. 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
Dec 20, 20236 min
My Surprisingly Unbiased Week With Elon Musk's 'Politically Biased' Chatbot
Some Elon Musk fans are concerned that Grok, xAI's answer to ChatGPT, is too politically liberal. The nature of the underlying AI technology will make “fixing” its outlook difficult. 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
Dec 19, 20238 min
In a World First, a Patient’s Antibody Cells Were Just Genetically Engineered
B cells are prolific producers of antibodies, but for the first time, scientists have modified them to make other proteins to counteract a serious genetic disease. 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
Dec 18, 20238 min
OpenAI’s Ilya Sutskever Has a Plan for Keeping Super-Intelligent AI in Check
The “superalignment” team led by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever has devised a way to guide the behavior of AI models as they get ever smarter. 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
Dec 15, 20239 min
Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees
Ecologist Thomas Crowther’s research inspired countless tree-planting campaigns, greenwashing, and attacks from scientists. Now he’s back with a new plan for nature restoration. 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
Dec 14, 202312 min
YouTube Is Now Hiding Which Channels Get a Cut of Ad Revenue
YouTube removed a snippet of code that publicly disclosed whether a channel receives ad and subscription payouts, obscuring which creators benefit most from the platform. 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
Dec 13, 202312 min
Can Rock Dust Soak Up Carbon Emissions? A Giant Experiment Is Set to Find Out
The idea that sprinkling rock dust on farmland can soak up atmospheric carbon will be tested at large scale thanks to a $57 million purchase from corporations including Stripe and Alphabet. 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
Dec 12, 202312 min
Why It Took Meta 7 Years to Turn on End-to-End Encryption for All Chats
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
Dec 11, 202310 min
Elijah Wood and Mike Tyson Cameo Videos Were Used in a Russian Disinformation Campaign
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
Dec 8, 202310 min
Google Just Launched Gemini, Its Long-Awaited Answer to ChatGPT
Google says Gemini, launching today inside the Bard chatbot, is its “most capable” AI model ever. It was trained on video, images, and audio as well as text. 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
Dec 7, 202311 min
Spotify Is Screwed
Spotify is the world’s biggest music streamer, but rarely turns a profit and just cut 17 percent of its workforce. Its business model looks increasingly precarious. 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
Dec 6, 20237 min
OpenAI Committed to Buying $51 Million of AI Chips From a Startup Backed by CEO Sam Altman
Documents show that OpenAI signed a letter of intent to spend $51 million on brain-inspired chips developed by startup Rain. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously made a personal investment in Rain. 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
Dec 5, 202312 min
The Race to Find What’s Making America’s Dogs Sick
Hundreds of dogs across multiple states have been struck down with a severe respiratory illness. Veterinarians suspect a mystery bacteria but are still grasping for clues. 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
Dec 4, 202311 min
A Life-Extension Drug for Big Dogs Is Getting Closer to Reality
The FDA has yet to approve any drugs for life extension. But biotech company Loyal is now a step closer to bringing one to market—for dogs. 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
Dec 1, 20238 min
The Weirdest Reason the Poles Are Warming So Fast? Invisible Clouds
Clouds way up in the stratosphere act like a blanket, trapping heat in the Arctic and Antarctica. That could help explain why models keep underestimating how fast they’re warming. 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
Nov 30, 20239 min
A Damning Report Claims a Major Gig Economy Union Had a Culture of Abuse and Toxicity
An independent report obtained by WIRED claims a UK union that won a major case against Uber mistreated its staff and grappled with incidents of racism. Two of its most senior figures have now stepped down. 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
Nov 29, 20239 min
The US Wants Vietnam to Be Its New Tech Best Friend
Teaming up with Vietnam may help the US lessen its dependence on China’s tech supply chain. But decoupling from a chipmaking giant like China won’t be easy. 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
Nov 28, 202311 min
Here’s What’s Next for SpaceX’s Starship
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
Nov 27, 202310 min
New Orleans Tried to Control Short-Term Rentals With a Lottery System. It Was a Mess
In trying to limit the impact of short-term rentals like Airbnbs, New Orleans used an elaborate lottery system to pit neighbors against each other. A lawsuit from angry hosts has put it in 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
Nov 22, 202310 min
The Precarious Rise of Disposable Vapes
Disposable vapes from brands like Elf Bar and Lost Mary have taken over the ecigarette market and become a hit among young people. Governments are trying to figure out what to do. 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
Nov 21, 202310 min
You Need a Heat Pump. Soon You’ll Have More American-Made Options
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
Nov 20, 20238 min
YouTube Shorts Challenges TikTok With Music-Making AI for Creators
YouTube creators will get to test a new AI tool that generates and remixes music in the style of several famous musicians, including Sia, Demi Lovato, and T-Pain. 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
Nov 17, 20237 min
Think You Have SAD? Think Again
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
Nov 16, 202311 min
Ann McKee Is on a Quest to Save Humanity’s Brains
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
Nov 15, 20239 min
Skiing Is Getting Riskier
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
Nov 14, 20239 min
Obamacare Call Center Staff Strike Over Steep Health Care Costs and Scarce Bathroom Breaks
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
Nov 13, 202311 min