From Amazon to Google to Apple, companies are creating digital assistants to make our lives easier. What's the technology behind them and are they safe to use?

From Amazon to Google to Apple, companies are creating digital assistants to make our lives easier. What's the technology behind them and are they safe to use?

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers). 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers).&nbsp;
Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us.&nbsp;
TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture.&nbsp;
We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions.&nbsp;
Get in touch here:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-stringify-link="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>

TechStuff

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers) 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

 

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers)&nbsp;
Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us.&nbsp;
TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture.&nbsp;
We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

TechStuff Classic: AI Assistants and You

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a1b4c15c-8624-4c81-ad97-b0000173bac9/transcript

Are you a gift go-getter, or a holiday procrastinator? This week, Karah spoke with Kyle Chayka, tech writer for The New Yorker and author of the book “Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture”. They talk about his gadget gift guide, how analog products are back in style, and why books are his preferred gift of choice. Oz also shares the hottest toy of the year: a console that helps the whole family stay active. 

Additional Reading: 
The Hottest Toy of the Year Is Made by a Tech Startup You’ve Never Heard Of
A Holiday Gift Guide: The Newest Strangest Gadgets and Apps

Are you a gift go-getter, or a holiday procrastinator? This week, Karah spoke with Kyle Chayka, tech writer for The New Yorker and author of the book &ldquo;Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture&rdquo;. They talk about his gadget gift guide, how analog products are back in style, and why books are his preferred gift of choice. Oz also shares the hottest toy of the year: a console that helps the whole family stay active.&nbsp;
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/entrepreneurship/nex-playground-toy-game-console-holiday-shopping-af47125f?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqeXnnSxdEGqePAu87nuKgdsXa3knC9G3ZXsi6MSOcCX8xkKzh_LK3DHojASil0%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69447d74&amp;gaa_sig=P9UzpUP7FAUwbBvR04439KswV1WSCKYZ8xEBBDh2-spgcKWmCTm24u8HNLjqVNOVEM8s0IaDmszYjrjfqrtoDg%3D%3D">The Hottest Toy of the Year Is Made by a Tech Startup You&rsquo;ve Never Heard Of</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-and-off-the-avenue/a-holiday-gift-guide-the-newest-strangest-gadgets-and-apps">A Holiday Gift Guide: The Newest Strangest Gadgets and Apps</a></li>
</ul>

Happy Gadget Season To All Who Celebrate! 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d9f35e75-7efa-4178-b337-b3b5017a02c9/transcript

Is nuclear fusion the clean energy we need? Oz speaks with Commonwealth Fusion Systems' scientist and engineer Alex Creely and fashion designer Gabriela Hearst about why the public should get excited about nuclear fusion. Together, they discuss what it will take to commercialize fusion, how Gabriela’s 2022 fashion show changed the public conversation, and whether we’ll have nuclear fusion by 2030.

Is nuclear fusion the clean energy we need? Oz speaks with Commonwealth Fusion Systems' scientist and engineer Alex Creely and fashion designer Gabriela Hearst about why the public should get excited about nuclear fusion. Together, they discuss what it will take to commercialize fusion, how Gabriela&rsquo;s 2022 fashion show changed the public conversation, and whether we&rsquo;ll have nuclear fusion by 2030.

The Story: Will Nuclear Fusion Save the World? 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7bb6fcbc-3c97-4afd-9076-b3b6001e9279/transcript

Should LLMs monitor crime? This week, Oz tells us why the US pharmaceutical industry may have competition… and why we’ve yet to see a flood of new products from AI drug discovery companies. Then, Karah explains how a telecommunications company is feeding recordings of inmate phone calls into LLMs that can then monitor future calls for planned crimes. Also, the UK government wants to cross-reference CCTV footage with the passport photo database, there’s a new self-made female billionaire in town — the youngest yet — and the newest billion dollar company sells blueberries the size of golf balls. And then, on Chat and Me, a deep fake interview has international consequences. 

ADDITIONAL READING: 
Art Basel show by Beeple has realistic Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg robot dogs pooping NFTs | Page Six  
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs? | Financial Times 
Will the next blockbuster drug come from China? | Financial Times 
An AI model trained on prison phone calls now looks for planned crimes in those calls | MIT Technology Review 
Live facial recognition cameras planned for every town centre | Telegraph
Kalshi’s Cofounder Is Now World’s Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire | Forbes 
Ray Dalio is backing a $1 billion blueberry unicorn that sells berries nearly the size of golf balls | Fortune

Should LLMs monitor crime? This week, Oz tells us why the US pharmaceutical industry may have competition&hellip; and why we&rsquo;ve yet to see a flood of new products from AI drug discovery companies. Then, Karah explains how a telecommunications company is feeding recordings of inmate phone calls into LLMs that can then monitor future calls for planned crimes. Also, the UK government wants to cross-reference CCTV footage with the passport photo database, there&rsquo;s a new self-made female billionaire in town &mdash; the youngest yet &mdash; and the newest billion dollar company sells blueberries the size of golf balls. And then, on Chat and Me, a deep fake interview has international consequences.&nbsp;
ADDITIONAL READING:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/12/03/society/beeples-regular-animals-has-billionaire-robots-at-basel/">Art Basel show by Beeple has realistic Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg robot dogs pooping NFTs | Page Six</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9a8aee4e-9cf6-4bb3-b7ea-d95ddd0d5e79">Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs? | Financial Times</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/3bfe96d3-593c-498a-9da4-0c1ed359ff74?accessToken=zwAGRToLVsqokc87_pbTWTxJitOdpAwe01n_dA.MEYCIQDIJ14mrs5RV2stI85Y8udA5NhUKryXTCDkE_9oxV92kwIhANsT-GDnKpfCv6d0c1qQb-BMODluZGOIgoRGyOlb0T1v&amp;sharetype=gift&amp;token=7ee383e8-31b0-4444-90b9-39c40ad70a12">Will the next blockbuster drug come from China? | Financial Times</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/12/01/1128591/an-ai-model-trained-on-prison-phone-calls-is-now-being-used-to-surveil-inmates/?utm_source=Iterable&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter-20251204">An AI model trained on prison phone calls now looks for planned crimes in those calls | MIT Technology Review</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/12/04/live-facial-recognition-cameras-planned-for-every-town-cent/">Live facial recognition cameras planned for every town centre | Telegraph</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/02/how-kalshis-luana-lopes-lara-cofounder-went-from-professional-ballerina-to-worlds-youngest-self-made-woman-billionaire/">Kalshi&rsquo;s Cofounder Is Now World&rsquo;s Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire | Forbes</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://fortune.com/2025/11/04/ray-dalio-fruitist-steve-magami-caleb-williams-investing-giant-blueberries/">Ray Dalio is backing a $1 billion blueberry unicorn that sells berries nearly the size of golf balls | Fortune</a></li>
</ul>

Week In Tech: Would You Rather Live in a World with No Privacy or No Crime?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d9860d9-70e2-4108-ba37-b3b10020b212/transcript

TechStuff Classic: AI Assistants and You

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