Dots get up in Muse's business

Is the key to turning around public opinion on AI just to make it cuter? Nilay Patel, Jake Kastrenakes and David Imel talk about the latest adorable agents that want access to all your data, then discuss whether this week's White House AI accord is worth the paper it's written on. Plus: Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets! We speculate on Apple's rumored October 13 announcement, drool over Huawei's camera for your cameraphone, and herald the return of physical buttons in the new Kindle cases. We wrap things up with the usual Brendan Carr is a Dummy and a lightning round full of Cybercabs, data centers, 'Old Reddit' and government chatbots. Vote for us in the Signal Awards! Vote Vergecast: Best Technology Podcast Vote Version History: Best History Podcast Vote Decoder: Best Business Podcast Further reading: OpenAI launches Dots, its Muse competitor OpenAI plans to bring Dots to consumers, too. Meta’s Muse AI sent a YouTuber’s address to a stranger Maybe don’t let Muse run your Facebook Marketplace account. Sam Altman says OpenAI won’t go public until its models are safe Google announces Gemini 4 and says it’s so capable that only ‘trusted cyber defenders’ can have it right now AI researchers put out videos saying superintelligence is ‘exactly as dangerous as it sounds’ Here’s how tech leaders will self-police AI safety under Trump’s deal Here’s what AI leaders are saying about Trump’s new safety plan Trump: “You’re going to see — data centers are going to be very popular.” Trump orders US government to call AI ‘Super Intelligence’ Huawei made a whole camera to attach to its latest phone Amazon is launching colorful new Kindles — and a case with physical page-turn buttons Apple’s ‘HomePad’ will reportedly launch on October 13th NBC News: FCC head says government-funded Trump ads are ‘normal’ and ‘don’t raise any red flags’ The People of Utah vs. Kevin O’Leary Tesla’s Cybercab robotaxi rollout: the biggest news and announcements The White House launched an AI chatbot for government-related questions. Reddit says it has to cut back access to ‘Old Reddit’ because of AI bots Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. 0:00 Welcome 00:52 Awards and Listener Voting 01:36 Week Ahead Preview 01:52 OpenAI Dots vs Meta Muse 06:09 Living as Tasks 19:47 Business Models and Privacy 23:41 Bot Traffic and Web Friction 27:48 Trump Superintelligence Accord 37:46 Gadget Segment Kickoff 38:26 Huawei Screw On Lens Camera 41:33 Why Phone Camera Hybrids Fail 44:09 Pricey Phone Lens Debate 45:31 Kindle Lineup Upgrades 48:49 Apple Smart Home Display Rumors 01:02:58 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:08:27 America Gov Chatbot 01:14:54 Old Reddit Bot Crackdown 01:19:30 Utah Data Center Blowup 01:25:17 Cybercab Ride Report 01:27:31 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices