Tech News Weekly (Audio)

TNW 440: Inside a High School's Deepfake Nightmare - When Deepfakes Go Too Far in Schools 04.06.2026 1t 11min

Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! Google & Microsoft held developer keynotes the past few weeks, with Apple's WWDC conference happening soon. The growing crisis of AI-generated deepfakes in schools. And China's dominance in actuator manufacturing. Abrar & Mikah chat about the stretch of major tech conferences with Google & Microsoft's tech conferences that happened in the past few weeks, as well as Apple's WWDC that is right around the corner. Samantha Cole of 404 Media joins the show to talk about the disturbing rise of AI-generated deepfakes that are targeting students in schools and the ongoing challenges facing lawmakers, parents, and app stores in responding to the crisis. And Mikah looks into America's growing actuator problem, with China dominating the market and the U.S. struggling to bring such a manufacturing capability back home. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Samantha Cole Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security Simply CX webroot.com/twit

TNW 439: Can Apple's New Siri Catch Up? - iOS 27 Siri AI Overhaul 28.05.2026 1t 1min

Dan Moren from sixcolors.com joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly. A new report from Mark Gurman highlights new details for iOS 27. A look into a trend in London involving phone thefts & the lengths they go to unlock stolen devices for resale. And the Vatican unveiled its new papal encyclical on artificial intelligence. Dan talks about a new report from Mark Gurman on Bloomberg about new details for Apple's upcoming iOS 27, which highlights a revamped Siri, a new system-wide search interface, and a standalone chatbot-style Siri app with support for third-party AI models. Mikah shares a New York Times investigation that looks into a disturbing trend in London where phone thieves are escalating beyond simple theft to pressure the victim and their family members into unlocking their stolen devices for resale. And Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah to break down the Vatican's new papal encyclical on artificial intelligence that was unveiled earlier this week. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Jacob Ward Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: Simply CX

TNW 438: Gemini in Your Glasses: A First Look - Google's Android XR Smart Glasses 21.05.2026 1t 15min

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! Amazon is directly implementing Alexa into its flagship shopping website. Bambu Lab is in hot water over direct messages it sent to an independent developer regarding third-party software access. Google's set to release its Android XR smart glasses later this year. And Apple unveils new accessibility features for its products, now including Apple Intelligence. Jennifer talks about Amazon integrating Alexa into Amazon.com, where you'll be able to ask Alexa questions and get more personalized answers. Mikah discusses how Bambu Lab, maker of popular 3D printers, is facing criticism from the 3D printing community after it sent a cease-and-desist letter to a developer over a third-party app that bypassed some of Bambu's proprietary software. WIRED's Julian Chokkattu joins the show to talk about Google's upcoming Android XR smart glasses and his hands-on experience with the device on how it handled tasks such as translation, navigation, and on-the-fly information lookup. And Mikah shares Apple's latest announcements of new accessibility features that will be coming to its OS's later this year. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Julian Chokkattu Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit Melissa.com/twit

TNW 437: What To Expect at Google I/O - The Preamble to Google I/O 2026 14.05.2026 1t 24min

Jacob Ward joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! More insights into the Musk vs. OpenAI trial. Everything unveiled at The Android Show: Google I/O Edition 2026. And the Canvas cyberattack. Jacob has been covering the Musk vs. OpenAI trial since he was last on the show. He talks about the trial and some of the more interesting things that have occurred during the trial. Jason Howell stops by to talk about everything that was unveiled at The Android Show: Google I/O Edition, a lead-up to the big Google I/O event that is taking place on May 19th. And Mikah talks about the Canvas cyberattack that occurred on May 7th and how the company paid the ransom that the attackers were demanding from the organization. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward Guest: Jason Howell Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT hoxhunt.com/securitynow zscaler.com/security bitwarden.com/twit

TNW 436: What 40,000 Schools Tell Us About Phone Bans - Do Phone Bans in School Really Benefits Students? 07.05.2026 1t 16min

Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET joins the show this week! The Oscars implement new rules with limits placed on the use of AI. Apple is set to pay $250 million to settle allegations about the capabilities of AI on its iPhones. Does tech suck now? And a study into the ban of cellphone use in schools shows mixed results in students' behavior and overall academic performance. Abrar talks about how the Oscars announced new eligibility guidelines for awards, requiring that roles & screenplays must be conducted by humans, stopping short of a ban on the use of AI in films nominated. Mikah shares how Apple must pay $250 million to settle class action lawsuits that allege the company misled customers on the capabilities of AI on its iPhones that never fully shipped as promised. Andrew Lanxon of CNET joins the show to discuss whether modern technology is genuinely getting worse or if some of us are simply becoming harder to please as we get older. And Mikah talks about a study that looks at schools restricting student use of cellphones during the day and the mixed results in improving students' behavior and in their academics overall. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Andrew Lanxon Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit Simply CX webroot.com/twit

TNW 435: Inside the Musk-Altman Trial With Jacob Ward - Tech Leaders Facing Off in Court 30.04.2026 1t 7min

Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! Jacob shares firsthand impressions from the Elon Musk v. OpenAI trial. Razr unveiled the latest iterations of its foldable phones. And Microsoft released the earliest known DOS source code to the public! Jacob just returned from covering the Elon Musk v. OpenAI trial in person! He shared his experience getting inside the courthouse to cover the trial and shares firsthand observations from the courtroom. Patrick Holland of CNET stops by to talk about the new Razr foldable phones, his first impressions with the devices, and laments the price hikes with the phones. And Mikah shares how Microsoft has released the earliest known DOS source code on GitHub - a collection of 870+ pages of dot matrix-printed assembler listings from the early 1980's! Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward Guest: Patrick Holland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit rippling.com/twit framer.com/tnw scribe.how/tnw

TNW 434: Is This Framework's Linux MacBook? - Framework's Take on the Pro Laptop 23.04.2026 1t 5min

Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on this episode of Tech News Weekly! Amanda is impressed with ChatGPT's Images 2.0 model. Some companies and tech giants are pushing back on stricter emissions reporting rules. Unauthorized users have accessed Anthropic's new Mythos AI model. And Framework announces its Laptop 13 Pro. Amanda talks about ChatGPT's Images 2.0 model and how it's a huge improvement in generating text compared to other image-generating AI models. Mikah shares how more than 60 companies, including Apple & Amazon, are pushing back on the possible tightening of emissions reporting standards as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a global standard-setter, looks to tamp down on greenwashing risks. Mikah also talks about how unauthorized users have accessed Anthropic's Mythos Model, setting up the possibility of dangerous cyberattacks down the road, as the AI model is more powerful than other models easily accessible to the public. And Sean Hollister of The Verge joins the show again to talk about Framework's new Laptop 13 Pro that Framework CEO Nirav Patel says is "the MacBook Pro for Linux users." Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Sean Hollister Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: webroot.com/twit outsystems.com/twit zscaler.com/security Melissa.com/twit

TNW 433: A $399 AI Deer That Texts You - Crazy Lore Behind an AI Companion 16.04.2026 1t 15min

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! How AI is helping elders stay independent & provide companionship. How Apple and Google's app stores are pushing users toward deepfake nude apps, per an organization's report. And inside the crazy backstory behind an AI plush companion. Jennifer talks about Samsung's newest updates to its SmartThings Family Care service and how technology and AI are increasingly being used to help take care of elderly people & provide companionship. Mikah talks about a report from the Tech Transparency Project that found both Apple & Google's app stores that host & direct users to apps that generate non-consensual nude images of women. And Victoria Song of The Verge joins the show to share her review of a $399 AI companion and her very unique experience with the device overall. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Victoria Song Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security Simply CX

TNW 432: How Wrong Are Google's AI Overviews? - Is Google's AI Overview Reliable? 09.04.2026 1t 41min

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on this episode of Tech News Weekly! How accurate are Google's AI Overviews? The usage of AI in investigative journalism. Artemis 2! And what Apple's next 50 years could look like. Mikah talks about a New York Times report that looks into the accuracy of Google's AI Overviews, which pull information from a group of various sources, from news articles to tabloids, and even social media posts. Amanda is fascinated by some tech reporters' slow adoption of utilizing AI in their journalistic process after coming across an article on the discovery of Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Rod Pyle of This Week in Space joins the show to talk about the Artemis II space mission! And Scott Stein of CNET chats with Mikah about Apple's first 50 years and what the next 50 years may look like for the company. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guests: Rod Pyle and Scott Stein Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: framer.com/tnw bitwarden.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

TNW 431: iPhone Hacking Tools Go Public - DarkSword & Coruda Puts Older iOS Users at Risk 02.04.2026 48min

Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah Sargent this week! Meta is in dispute with the Motion Picture Association. Anthropic accidentally leaks Claude Code's source code. Apple is continuing to extend updates to those affected by the DarkSword exploit. And Meta & YouTube are found liable for having features that are addictive for younger users. Abrar talks about Meta's deal with the Motion Picture Association to scale back the use of film ratings when describing its teen accounts. Mikah shares how Anthropic's Claude code was leaked, unveiling some next-gen AI coding features. Mikah gives an update on the DarkSword and Coruna exploit tools that utilize zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS 18. And both Meta and YouTube were found liable for some of their features that make their social media platforms addictive for younger users, having to pay millions in fines. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Simply CX zscaler.com/security