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Technology Podcasts

Each weekday morning we bring you the tech news you need today, and then in the afternoon we showcase stories about the technology, science, and culture that will influence tomorrow, all brought to you by Engadget.

Location:

United States

Description:

Each weekday morning we bring you the tech news you need today, and then in the afternoon we showcase stories about the technology, science, and culture that will influence tomorrow, all brought to you by Engadget.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Meta starts testing its AI shopping assistant

3/4/2026
It's currently available for select users in the US on desktop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:17

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AI data centers could reduce power draw on demand, Meta signed an AI licensing deal with News Corp, and no end-to-end encryption for TikTok DMs

3/4/2026
-Over five days in December 2025, more than 200 simulated "grid events" tested a London data center’s ability to adjust its energy use on the fly. In each simulated grid event, the data center successfully adjusted its energy use to the requested level, reducing power draw by up to 40% -Meta has signed an AI licensing deal with News Corp that will allow the Meta AI maker to use content from The Wall Street Journal and other brands in its chatbot responses and for training of its AI models. -TikTok said that implementing the technology would prevent its safety teams or law enforcement from being able to read messages if needed. The ByteDance-owned app framed it as a deliberate decision, made in an effort to keep users, especially younger ones, safe on its platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:09:31

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The Samsung Wallet can now hold your house keys

3/3/2026
The Digital Home Key can unlock smart doors through your phone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:12

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OpenAI will amend its deal with the DoD to prevent mass surveillance in the US, the Supreme Court doesn't care if you want to copyright your AI-generated art, and Starlink's next-gen satellite network could broadband speed

3/3/2026
-OpenAI’s Sam Altman said the company will amend its deal with the Defense Department to explicitly prohibit the use of its AI system on mass surveillance against Americans. -On Monday, the US Supreme Court declined to hear a case about whether an artwork generated with the help of AI can be copyrighted. The refusal means that a lower court's decision to reject the copyright request will stand. -Starlink is getting ready to launch its second generation of satellites, and it's expected to match the speeds of a traditional terrestrial network. During a keynote at Mobile World Congress, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:07:58

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A closer look at Honor’s Robot Phone

3/2/2026
Look, but don’t touch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:07:48

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Anthropic's Claude tops in App Store after Trump's ban, the US reportedly used Anthropic's AI for its attack on Iran, and Lenovo's robot concept can help you digitally sign documents (and maybe annoy coworkers)'

3/2/2026
-Anthropic may have lost out on doing business with the US government, but it's gained enough popularity to earn the number one spot on the App Store's Top Free Apps leaderboard. -A few hours after Trump ordered all federal agencies to "immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology", the US conducted a major air attack on Iran with the help of Anthropic's AI tools, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. -Lenovo can make a robot, too. Alongside proof-of-concept foldable gaming PCs and modular laptops, it introduced the AI Workmate Concept at MWC 2026. With its own Intel Core Ultra processor, 64GB of memory and its own Pico projector, it’s an AI-laced “workmate” meant to streamline office tasks and collaboration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:07:36

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Canadian government demands safety changes from OpenAI

2/27/2026
A “big week" that starts on Monday includes a March 4 event for press and creators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:55

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Anthropic refuses to bow to the Pentagon despite threats, Block is laying off nearly half its workforce, and Burger King will use AI to monitor employee 'friendliness'

2/27/2026
-Despite an ultimatum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei said that it can't "in good conscience" comply with a Pentagon edict to remove guardrails on its AI. -Block, helmed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, is slashing its current staff of 10,000 to "just under 6,000." -Burger King, the chain that leans into creepy, is at it again. The Verge reported on Thursday that the company is rolling out a new voice-controlled AI chatbot for its workers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:08:24

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Amazon introduces three personality styles for Alexa+

2/26/2026
The AI assistant can be Brief, Chill or Sweet in its communications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:04

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Anthropic weakened its safety pledge, Kalshi fined a MrBeast, and Instagram will alert parents if teens repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm content

2/26/2026
-Will Shanklin reports that with two stories about the Claude maker Anthropic breaking on Tuesday paint a chilling picture. -Ian Carlos Campbell writes about Kalshi suspending a MrBeast video editor for insider trading. -Anna Washenko writes about Instagram adding a new alert for the parents of teen users of its social media platform. The network will alert the adult if their child repeatedly searches for terms about suicide or self-harm in a short time frame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:07:14

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Google claims it's building data centers that barely use any water

2/25/2026
The new design uses air cooling and supposedly limits water to on-site kitchens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:05:44

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xAI's trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI has been dismissed, the Pentagon giving Anthropic until Friday to let it use Claude as it sees fit, and Uber previewed its Dubai air taxi service

2/25/2026
-OpenAI has successfully convinced the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s xAI, accusing the company of stealing its trade secrets. -Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will reportedly give Anthropic until Friday to drop certain guardrails for military use, as reported by Axios. -Uber is one step closer to going airborne. On Wednesday, the company previewed its air taxi booking service ahead of an expected launch in Dubai later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:08:02

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The creators of Dark Sky have a new weather app

2/24/2026
The app shows a range of weather predictions for increased accuracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:03

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US military may use Grok AI in its classified systems, Anthropic accused 3 Chinese AI labs of abusing Claude, and Bungie said 'no second chances'

2/24/2026
-The US Department of Defense has reportedly reached a deal to use Elon Musk's Grok in its classified systems. That’s according to a report by Axios. That follows news that the Pentagon is currently in a dispute with another AI company, Anthropic, over limits on its technology for things like mass surveillance. -Anthropic is issuing a call to action against AI "distillation attacks," after accusing three AI companies of misusing its Claude chatbot. On its website, Anthropic claimed that DeepSeek, Moonshot and MiniMax have been conducting "industrial-scale campaigns…to illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities to improve their own models." -Bungie isn't taking any prisoners when it comes to cheating on its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:08:20

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Apple's next event to bring at least five products over a 'three-day blitz'

2/23/2026
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the multiple product reveals will culminate with an in-person "experience" on March 4th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:15

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The US will send Tech Corps members to foreign countries, a Colorado bill would make it illegal to 3D print firearms and gun parts, and the recent 13-hour AWS outage may have been caused by its own AI tools

2/23/2026
-Tech Corps volunteers will be placed in Peace Corps countries that are part of the American AI Exports Program, which was created last year from an executive order from President Trump as a way to bolster the US' grip on the AI market abroad. -Colorado's proposed law would "prohibit the use of a three-dimensional printer, or similar technology, to make a firearm or a firearm component." -A recent Amazon Web Services outage that lasted 13 hours was reportedly caused by one of its own AI tools, according to reporting by Financial Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:54

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Meta is shuttering Messenger’s standalone website, which is a thing that exists

2/20/2026
It goes dark in April, but the app will remain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:44

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Google Play used AI to help block bad apps last year, Samsung's Bixby is more conversational, and 'Freedom.gov' will allow Europeans to view hate speech

2/20/2026
-Google has announced that with the help of AI, it blocked 1.75 million apps that violated its policies in 2025, significantly down from 2.36 million in 2024. -Samsung has launched the latest version of Bixby with the new One UI 8.5 beta -According to Reuters, the US State Department is building a web portal, where Europeans and anyone else can see online content banned by their governments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:08:48

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Federal court rules that OpenAI must stop using the term 'Cameo'

2/19/2026
The company's video generator Sora offered a feature bearing the name. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:06:06

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Is Meta planning to release a smartwatch this year?, Nevada is suing Kalshi, and Gemini can now generate a 30-second clip of what real music sounds like

2/19/2026
-Meta is reportedly gearing up to enter another segment of the wearables market. According to The Information, the company is planning to release its first smartwatch sometime this year. Meta has revived its smartwatch initiative internally called “Malibu 2." -Nevada's gambling regulators and attorney general sued Kalshi on Tuesday accusing the company of bypassing Nevada law by operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses. In addition, they say Kalshi provides services to individuals under 21, which violates state law. -Google has announced that using its newly incorporated Lyria 3 model, Gemini users will be able to generate 30-second music tracks based on a prompt, or remix an existing track to their liking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:09:43