In this episode of This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte is joined by Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, tackling a wide range of thought-provoking topics, from the ethical implications of AI in sensitive fields to the challenges of creating and consuming content in an increasingly commercialized digital landscape.

• The panel grapples with the potential risks and benefits of AI-powered therapists and priests, stressing the need for human empathy and discernment in these emotionally charged roles.

• They confront the harsh realities of the internet's "heat death," as the relentless pursuit of profits and engagement leads to a glut of low-quality content and erodes user trust.

• The group reflects on the double-edged sword of democratized media, celebrating the value of supporting emerging voices while acknowledging the importance of professional standards.

• As Twitter faces existential challenges, the panel surveys the social media horizon, evaluating alternative platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, and weighing the implications of Jack Dorsey's departure from the Bluesky board.

• Elon Musk's reckless tweets about taking Tesla private have come back to haunt him, with the Supreme Court upholding an SEC settlement requiring his Tesla-related posts to be vetted by a lawyer.

• The FCC has cracked down on major telecom companies for the illegal sale of location data, while legislators push for reforms to prevent the government from exploiting privacy loopholes.

• Congress continues its misguided crusade to protect children online, with ill-conceived age verification mandates and privacy-eroding measures that threaten the very foundations of digital security. The panel offers an impassioned critique of these shortsighted efforts.

• The once-beloved video game Helldivers 2 serves as a cautionary tale of platform overreach, as a heavy-handed PlayStation Network login requirement sparks a massive player revolt and torpedoes the game's reputation.

• Apple's quarterly results are analyzed, and all eyes are on Apple's upcoming event, where new iPads and an enhanced Apple Pencil are expected to take center stage. But the real buzz surrounds the rumored M4 chip and its tantalizing AI capabilities, hinting at a potential game-changer for the iconic brand.

• The group geeks out over Disney+'s radical revival of X-Men '97 and Amazon's ambitious Fallout adaptation, complete with an immersive easter egg phone experience

• The freewheeling discussion also touches on Shoshana's ingenious Alexa hacks for Sabbath TV viewing, a UK council's apostrophe apocalypse, the looming cicada invasion, and Fr. Robert's role as a guardian angel for the Vatican's feral felines.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ

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TikTok Ban, Intel's Struggles, Google's Ensh*ttification

• 'Thunder Run': Behind Lawmakers' Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill
• A Chinese Firm Is America's Favorite Drone Maker. Except in Washington.
• The panel taks about AI
• With YouTube Booming, Podcast Creators Get Camera-Ready
• A new California bill would restrict line-skipping service 'Clear' at airports in the name of equity
• The Man Who Killed Google Search
• Google search boss Raghavan warns employees of 'new operating reality'
• Oracle is moving its world HQ to Nashville
• Google delays third-party cookie demise yet again
• Alphabet Leaps Into $2 Trillion Club as Results Show AI Strength
• U.S. chipmaker Intel was once dominant, now struggles to stay relevant
• Twilio Founder Jeff Lawson Has Some Serious Plans for The Onion

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Amy Webb and Kevin Rose

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• Cops can force suspect to unlock phone with thumbprint, US court rules
• TikTok 'ban' passes in the House again
• Senate reauthorizes FISA spy program, but not before its midnight expiration
• Surveillance Law Section 702 Keeps Us Safe
• Netflix (NFLX) earnings Q1 2024
• Americans' New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat.
• How One Author Pushed the Limits of AI Copyright
• Amazon Prime Memberships in US Gain 8% to New High After Lull
• Tesla recalls all 3,878 Cybertrucks over faulty accelerator pedal
• Tesla asks shareholders to approve Elon Musk's nixed $56 billion pay plan
• Cool or creepy? Microsoft's VASA-1 is a new AI model that turns photos into 'talking faces'
• GPT-4 can exploit real vulnerabilities by reading advisories
• Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot goes electric
• Schools Want to Ban Phones. Parents Say No.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Jason Howell, Abrar Al-Heeti, and Mikah Sargent

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• AI Music with Suno and Udio
• Google's DeepMind finds 2.2M crystal structures in materials science win
• Vana plans to let users rent out their Reddit data to train AI
• How I Built an AI-Powered, Self-Running Propaganda Machine for $105
• AI's Victories in Go Inspire Better Human Game Playing
• Why the California Journalism Preservation Act is putting support of the news ecosystem at risk
• Google and the CJPA
• Consumers will finally see FCC-mandated 'nutrition labels' for most broadband plans
• SAG-AFTRA union secures AI protections for artists in deal with major record labels
• Peter Higgs, physicist who proposed Higgs boson, dies aged 94 | Peter Higgs
• BESSY II: How pulsed charging enhances the service time of batteries

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Denise Howell, Larry Magid, and Owen Thomas

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• House, Senate leaders nearing deal on landmark online privacy bill
• Marissa Mayer's eternal Sunshine
• Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil its robotaxi on Aug. 8; shares pop
• Amazon's Grocery Stores to Drop Just Walk Out Checkout Tech
• X's 'complimentary' Premium push gives people blue checks they didn't ask for
• President Biden is now posting into the fediverse
• Yahoo is acquiring Artifact to bring its AI features to Yahoo News
• MrBeast calls for slowing down video editing styles
• A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC's Attention. Do His Claims Add Up?
• Price of zero-day exploits rises as companies harden products against hackers
• App Store guidelines now allow game emulators; more
• How Tech Giants Cut Corners to Harvest Data for A.I.
• Google Pledges to Destroy Browsing Data to Settle 'Incognito' Lawsuit
• SF Giants using facial recognition tech to fast-track ticket line
• Apple (AAPL) Explores Home Robots After Abandoning Car Efforts

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Mikah Sargent, Lisa Schmeiser, and Harry McCracken

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Gmail turns 20, AI PC definition, xz Utils backdoor

• 20 years of Gmail
• Backdoor found in widely used Linux utility breaks encrypted SSH connections
• An Accidental Discovery of a Backdoor Likely Prevented Thousands of Infections
• EU probes Apple, Meta and Alphabet under landmark new law
• Google Podcasts service shuts down in the US next week
• Daniel Kahneman, Who Plumbed the Psychology of Economics, Dies at 90 - The New York Times
• The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
• Social Media, Authoritarianism, and the World As It Is - LPE Project
• Phison Announces Strategic Partnerships Deploying aiDAPTIV+ at NVIDIA GTC 2024
• Microsoft says this single key is the difference between an AI PC and just a PC with AI

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Allyn Malventano, Daniel Rubino, and Doc Rock

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• U.S. versus Apple: A first reaction
• Critics of the TikTok Bill Are Missing the Point
• Tennessee becomes first US state with law protecting musicians from AI
• In One Key A.I. Metric, China Pulls Ahead of the U.S.: Talent
• Murthy v Missouri at SCOTUS
• Unpatchable vulnerability in Apple chip leaks secret encryption keys
• Windows 11, Tesla, and Ubuntu Linux hacked at Pwn2Own Vancouver
• Vernor Vinge (1944-2024)

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Cathy Gellis, Rob Pegoraro, and Brianna Wu

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• The Panel discusses video Formats and aspect ratios
• House of Reps pass bill that could ban TikTok
• TechDirt: TikTok ban would be unconstitutional and doesn't actually help with threats
• TikTok estimated to be worth $100B, or $40B if it doesn't include the algorithm
• US wants to ban TikTok for the sins of every social media company
• What social media is the panel using?
• Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency, sources say
• Musk dumps Don Lemon after sitting through one interviuew
• "Gurman: CarPlay is now all Apple has left, should they charge for the more advanced version? + Apple planning for the biggest AirPods push yet with new low-end, mid-range models"
• Microsoft is hosting its Surface/AI event next week, what do we think about Microsoft's current PC and AI ambitions?
• FCC raises broadband minimums to 100Mbps/20Mbps, up from 25Mbps/3Mbps
• Pornhub says adios to Texas
• Profile of the UberCheats dev, who created an app to see how the Uber algorithm was screwing over workers
• What media is the panel watching?

Host: Devindra Hardawar

Guests: Alex Lindsay, Glenn Fleishman, and Scott Stein

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