In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Jake Lahut to run through five of the most important stories we published this week — from how bitcoin miners have been racing this year to beat the tariffs, to how AI was used to find a missing hiker in the Italian Alps. Then, Zoë and Jake discuss the details around OpenAI’s latest partnership with the federal government.

Live show tickets at: https://www.kqed.org/event/5459

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• OpenAI Announces Massive US Government Partnership | WIRED
• Trumpworld Knows Epstein Is a Problem. But They Can’t Solve It | WIRED
• Charter Planes and Bidding Wars: How Bitcoin Miners Raced to Beat Trump’s Tariffs | WIRED
• Google Will Use AI to Guess People’s Ages Based on Search History | WIRED
• US Coast Guard Report on Titan Submersible Implosion Singles Out OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush | WIRED
• A Hiker Was Missing for Nearly a Year—Until an AI System Recognized His Helmet | WIRED

AI chatbot premium subscriptions like ChatGPT Pro and Claude Max currently cost around $200, but it’s not entirely clear why. Lauren and Mike speak with WIRED’s Reece Rogers to find out what’s behind these models that AI companies bill as their most powerful, and whether they could become a staple in our future.

Live show tickets at: https://www.kqed.org/event/5459

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• Seriously, Why Do Some AI Chatbot Subscriptions Cost More Than $200? | WIRED
• Cheap AI Tools May Come at a Big Long-Term Cost | WIRED

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Louise Matsakis to run through five of the most important stories we published this week — from Meta continuing its AI talent poaching spree, to how much faster our brains have really aged since the pandemic. Afterwards, they dive into the surprising reason behind why ChatGPT reportedly went full demon mode last week.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• The Real Demon Inside ChatGPT | WIRED
• Meta’s AI Recruiting Campaign Finds a New Target | WIRED
• The Pandemic Appears to Have Accelerated Brain Aging, Even in People Who Never Got Covid | WIRED
• Age Verification Laws Send VPN Use Soaring—and Threaten the Open Internet | WIRED
• This Smart Basketball Tracks Data About Every Shot. It Could Be Headed to the NBA | WIRED
• The First Planned Migration of an Entire Country Is Underway | WIRED