How Israeli spy veterans are shaping US big tech

AI agents are taking charge. They’re booking appointments, managing your inbox, and handling tasks with minimal input. They promise convenience, but some have leaked data, made surprise purchases, and even tried to replicate themselves. Big Tech and the military are betting big on their future. As we hand over more control, are we ready for what comes next? In this episode: Grace Huckins (@grace_huckins), AI Reporter, MIT Technology Review Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Amy Walters, Diana Ferrero, and Sonia Bhagat, with Phillip Lanos, Melanie Marich, Marya Khan, Kisaa Zehra, Farhan Rafid, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Diana Ferrero, Tracie Hunte, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Melanie Marich, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Marya Khan, Kisaa Zehra, and Farhan Rafid. Our host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

11 Elo 23min

This week: Israel announced plans to occupy Gaza City. An NGO has called US-backed aid distribution sites in Gaza "orchestrated killing". Lebanon's government says it will disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. It is day 674 of the war in Gaza, where at least 61,369 Palestinians have been killed. In this episode: Ibrahim al Khalili, Al Jazeera Correspondent Behdad Mahichi, Al Jazeera Producer Zeina Khodr, (@ZeinakhodrAlJaz) Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

10 Elo 6min

Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on July 11, 2022. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. In the shadow of Serengeti National Park, some 70,000 people may soon lose the land that is their home. They’re Maasai, an indigenous semi-nomadic people living alongside safari tours and game hunters. The Tanzanian government says an area where they live, Loliondo, is overpopulated and that it is threatening a precious ecosystem famed for its wild animals. It looks like a classic case of human vs animal – but the animals are also attractive to trophy hunters, and for the Maasai, the story goes much deeper. In this episode: Joseph Oleshangay (@Oleshangay), Human Rights Lawyer Anuradha Mittal (@Mittaloak), Executive Director, Oakland Institute Parselelo Kantai, Journalist and Writer Episode credits: This episode was updated by Tamara Khandaker. The original production team was Alexandra Locke, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, Ruby Zaman, Ney Alvarez, and our host Malika Bilal. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

9 Elo 22min

Brazil’s former president is under house arrest after its Supreme Court found Jair Bolsonaro had violated social media and political messaging rules. Now on trial for an alleged coup attempt, President Trump has called Bolsonaro’s prosecution a “witch hunt” and hit Brazil with 50% tariffs, an interference President Lula calls a breach to national sovereignty. In this episode: Maria Martha Bruno, journalist, Agência Pública Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tracie Hunte, Noor Wazwaz, Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat and Diana Ferrero, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Kisaa Zehra, Marya Khan, and Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

8 Elo 22min

What is the threat of nuclear war today? With tensions on the rise, a new telling of firsthand accounts of the creation of the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project shows the echoes of those decisions today. 80 years after the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we hear an oral history of the people who built the bomb in secrecy to those who suffered its consequences. In this episode: Garett Graff (@vermontgmg), journalist and historian Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, Sonia Bhagat, and Diana Ferrero, with Manny Panaretos, Marcos Bartolomé, Melanie Marich, Kisaa Zehra, Marya Khan, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

7 Elo 23min

Are US tariffs about to end the ‘add to cart’ era? President Donald Trump’s move to end the de minimis exemption closes a loophole used by Shein, Temu, and others to ship duty-free. With costs likely passed to shoppers, consumers are starting to rethink the real price of ultra-cheap clothing. In this episode: Aja Barber (@ajabarber), Author, Consumed Episode credits: This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Sarí el-Khalili, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Marya Khan, Melanie Marich, Kisaa Zehra, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

6 Elo 23min

Labor activist Chris Smalls is back in the US after imprisonment and abuse by Israeli forces for joining the Handala Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. He tells us about his time in detention, the silence from the US, and what the flotilla movement means for worldwide solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide. In this episode: Chris Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon), Founder of The Amazon Labor Union Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Sonia Bhagat and Julia Muldavin, with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Kisaa Zehra, Marya Khan, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

5 Elo 24min

A student uprising shook Bangladesh, toppling its most powerful leader. After 15 years in office, Sheikh Hasina’s grip on power broke under the pressure of a movement that began with a dispute over government jobs, and ended with her fleeing the country. To mark the anniversary, here’s the first episode of 36 July: Uprising in Bangladesh, the new season of Al Jazeera Investigates. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

5 Elo 50min