Hard Fork

The A.I. Trade Secrets War + Economists Say ‘We Must Act Now’ + HatGPT

hardfork@nytimes.com (The New York Times) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This week, feuding between some of the biggest tech companies spilled into public view. We discuss Apple’s accusation that OpenAI tried to steal secrets about Apple’s hardware business, as well as share our reactions about OpenAI’s new model, Sol, and Anthropic’s decision to extend access to its model Fable.

Then, we unpack the loudest warning yet about A.I. and jobs. We talk with Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford economist, about a statement he helped organize that implores economists and A.I. researchers to “act now” to steer A.I. in a direction that complements humans.

And finally, we play a round of HatGPT.

Guest:

Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered A.I., and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

Additional Reading:

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Do Social Media Bans Work? + A Conversation About A.I. Consciousness + Tool Time

hardfork@nytimes.com (The New York Times) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This week, with news that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Texas’ age verification law for app stores, we check in on how social media bans are going around the globe and what may be coming soon to a state near you. Then, we’re joined by Jeff Sebo, an associate professor at N.Y.U., to discuss new research into “A.I. welfare” and whether A.I. could ever become conscious. And finally, in our latest edition of Tool Time, we show each other some of the latest tech tools we’ve been experimenting with.

Guest:

Jeff Sebo, associate professor and the director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy at N.Y.U.

Additional Reading:

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

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What’s a Hard Fork?

hardfork@nytimes.com (The New York Times) — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore stories from the wild frontier of tech.

What’s real? What’s hype? “Hard Fork” is here to help you make sense of it. Tune in every Friday.

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