Bad Apple + The Rise of the AI Empire + Italian Brain Rot
Hard Fork9 Touko 2025

Bad Apple + The Rise of the AI Empire + Italian Brain Rot

This week, iPhone users started to feel the impact of a stern court order against Apple that requires the company to stop collecting a commission on some app sales. We break down what this means for apps like Kindle and Spotify and why the judge suggested that Apple and a top executive should be investigated for criminal contempt. Then, Karen Hao joins us to discuss her new book about OpenAI and explain why she believes the benefits of using the company’s tools do not outweigh the moral costs. And finally, Casey introduces Kevin to a strange new universe of A.I. slop that’s racking up millions of likes on TikTok.


Guest:


Additional Reading:

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

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(183)

Kamala Harris’s Bratty Coconut Memescape + What Does $1,000 a Month Do? + The Empire CrowdStrikes Back

Kamala Harris’s Bratty Coconut Memescape + What Does $1,000 a Month Do? + The Empire CrowdStrikes Back

This week, the memes didn’t just fall out of coconut trees — a rundown of the social media reaction to Kamala Harris’s election campaign, and an exploration of what her tech platform might look like. ...

26 Heinä 20241h 13min

Social Media Reacts to an Attempted Assassination + Tech Elites for Trump + TikTok's Jawmaxxing Trend

Social Media Reacts to an Attempted Assassination + Tech Elites for Trump + TikTok's Jawmaxxing Trend

This week, an assassination attempt for the social media age: what the platforms got right and wrong in the chaotic aftermath. Then we talk with the Times reporter Teddy Schleifer from this week’s Rep...

19 Heinä 20241h 10min

Alison Roman Answers Your Hard Questions

Alison Roman Answers Your Hard Questions

Throw down a picnic blanket, and grab some snacks and drinks: It’s time for some Hard Questions with the food writer, YouTuber and podcaster Alison Roman. We tackle quandaries like, Should you sign aw...

12 Heinä 202451min

The Interview: The Netflix Chief’s Plan to Get You to Binge Even More

The Interview: The Netflix Chief’s Plan to Get You to Binge Even More

We’re off for the Fourth of July, but what’s a better tribute to America than a conversation about the technology that enables us to endlessly stream TV from the couch? This week, we’re bringing you a...

5 Heinä 202440min

Record Labels Sue A.I. Music Generators + Inside the Pentagon’s Tech Upgrade + HatGPT

Record Labels Sue A.I. Music Generators + Inside the Pentagon’s Tech Upgrade + HatGPT

Record labels — including Sony, Universal and Warner — are suing two leading A.I. music generation companies, accusing them of copyright infringement. Mitch Glazier, chief executive of the Recording I...

28 Kesä 20241h 9min

A Surgeon General Warning + Is Disinformation Winning? + The CryptoPACs Are Coming

A Surgeon General Warning + Is Disinformation Winning? + The CryptoPACs Are Coming

The Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms: Should Congress give his proposal a like? Then, former Stanford researcher Renée DiResta joins us to talk about her new boo...

21 Kesä 20241h 18min

Apple Joins the A.I. Party + Elon's Wild Week + HatGPT

Apple Joins the A.I. Party + Elon's Wild Week + HatGPT

This week we go to Cupertino, Calif., for Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference and talk with Tripp Mickle, a New York Times reporter, about all of the new features Apple announced and the co...

14 Kesä 20241h 13min

A Conversation With  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada + An OpenAI Whistle-Blower Speaks Out

A Conversation With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada + An OpenAI Whistle-Blower Speaks Out

This week, we host a cultural exchange. Kevin and Casey show off their Canadian paraphernalia to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he shows off what he’s doing to position Canada as a leader in A.I. ...

7 Kesä 20241h 15min