What was HitchBot all about and what happened to it? From hitchhiking across Canada to a violent end in Philadelphia, we tell the robot's story. Scott Benjamin guest hosts.



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What was HitchBot all about and what happened to it? From hitchhiking across Canada to a violent end in Philadelphia, we tell the robot's story. Scott Benjamin guest hosts.
 
Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.
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

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

What was HitchBot all about and what happened to it? From hitchiking across Canada to a violent end in Philadelphia, we tell the robot's story. Scott Benjamin guest hosts.

The Sad Tale of HitchBot

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7ebe3ae3-0aa7-4158-b074-ae2b00a46467/transcript

What would it mean to be a "great ancestor"? Futurist Ari Wallach believes that's the question everyone, including our tech leaders, should be asking right now. 

Ari joins Oz to explain why the systems we're building today are laying rails for centuries to come. And he argues that shifting culture through storytelling is the fastest way to change the systems that govern our lives. He also introduces The Protopias Collection, six graphic novels imagining worlds that are messy and human, but unmistakably better. 

Also on the show: Alex Thier, the CEO of Lapis, discusses Lalah, an AI-powered chatbot built to help Afghan students learn beyond the classroom, a place girls can’t access past the sixth grade. 

Additional Reading: 
Ari Wallach: 3 ways to plan for the (very) long term | TED Talk 
The Protopias Collection: Various: 9781953165787: Amazon.com: Books 


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What would it mean to be a "great ancestor"? Futurist Ari Wallach believes that's the question everyone, including our tech leaders, should be asking right now. 
Ari joins Oz to explain why the systems we're building today are laying rails for centuries to come. And he argues that shifting culture through storytelling is the fastest way to change the systems that govern our lives. He also introduces The Protopias Collection, six graphic novels imagining worlds that are messy and human, but unmistakably better.&nbsp;
Also on the show: Alex Thier, the CEO of Lapis, discusses Lalah, an AI-powered chatbot built to help Afghan students learn beyond the classroom, a place girls can&rsquo;t access past the sixth grade. Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/ari_wallach_3_ways_to_plan_for_the_very_long_term">Ari Wallach: 3 ways to plan for the (very) long term | TED Talk</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Protopias-Collection-Various/dp/1953165788/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bBhS2FYK_Gq_Bh8KjStFjkVAupAvDwgY-QRvyxPKjsY0cWwkmaB1pSCTzJ26Ewh8iEqKuqYgsmn6OP8Xw9xeYv2fqAO_FUcHYrMopa9oJOa3id9wJaHbosh9gQ6de7n5HXXNJOvdvtI6Z3NKTZyzQrF6vOQAF56DZl_BZCfZhLs.ul_86eKr9ezPG8wrf7xjLY7d0Nwgu9S-aK9UkHLgM8M&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=protopias+collection&amp;qid=1774463200&amp;sr=8-1">The Protopias Collection: Various: 9781953165787: Amazon.com: Books</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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We've Been Sold a Bad Bill of Goods About the Future

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/98f2242c-8f26-4ec9-b7f6-b44200348e66/transcript

This week, some courtroom drama. It’s Elon Musk v. OpenAI the next few weeks and billionaires are taking the stand and opening their diaries — and memories of Burning Man — to scrutiny. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) breaks down the legal battle and why Elon Musk believes he’s owed billions since OpenAI went for-profit. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) reports on the Pentagon agreement Google was ‘proud’ to sign. But it’s déjà vu for many Google employees, who once again demanded company leadership proceed cautiously. Finally, Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) on the ‘girlboss-ification’ of AI: the coordinated push by major AI companies to win over women, from Anthropic's invite-only influencer supper clubs in New York to Reese Witherspoon's suspiciously enthusiastic (and allegedly unpaid) AI pep talk on Instagram.

Additional Reading: 
Shadowboxing Emperors | Semafor
Google workers petition CEO to refuse classified AI work with Pentagon | The Washington Post
Google told staff it is ‘proud’ of Pentagon AI contract after internal backlash | Financial Times 
The Girlboss-ification of AI w/ Kat Tenbarge | User Mag   


Download SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff  at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go tohttps://saily.com/techstuff

This week, some courtroom drama. It&rsquo;s Elon Musk v. OpenAI the next few weeks and billionaires are taking the stand and opening their diaries &mdash; and memories of Burning Man &mdash; to scrutiny. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) breaks down the legal battle and why Elon Musk believes he&rsquo;s owed billions since OpenAI went for-profit. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) reports on the Pentagon agreement Google was &lsquo;proud&rsquo; to sign. But it&rsquo;s d&eacute;j&agrave; vu for many Google employees, who once again demanded company leadership proceed cautiously. Finally, Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) on the &lsquo;girlboss-ification&rsquo; of AI: the coordinated push by major AI companies to win over women, from Anthropic's invite-only influencer supper clubs in New York to Reese Witherspoon's suspiciously enthusiastic (and allegedly unpaid) AI pep talk on Instagram. Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/04/29/2026/house-committee-probes-anysphere-airbnb-over-chinese-ai?utm_source=nowshare&amp;utm_medium=technology&amp;utm_campaign=FirstWord#b">Shadowboxing Emperors | Semafor</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/04/27/google-employees-letter-ai-pentagon/">Google workers petition CEO to refuse classified AI work with Pentagon | The Washington Post</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e2f5f0a7-fa24-430f-b7f8-27b78041ea8a?syn-25a6b1a6=1">Google told staff it is &lsquo;proud&rsquo; of Pentagon AI contract after internal backlash | Financial Times</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/the-girlboss-ification-of-ai-w-kat">The Girlboss-ification of AI w/ Kat Tenbarge | User Mag</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
 Download SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff&nbsp; at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to<a href="https://saily.com/creator/?coupon=techstuff&amp;utm_source=12669&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=138&amp;aff_transaction_id=102e6208403cf45b12b357c4a30eb2&amp;aff_offer_id=138&amp;aff_id=12669"> </a><a href="https://saily.com/techstuff">https://saily.com/techstuff</a>

The Trial Where Two Billionaires Could Lose — And Everyone Would Cheer - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6d205bd4-847c-48e3-a6d6-b43d00063c98/transcript

Live from The Royal Institution of Great Britain, it's TechStuff! Oz sat down with two visionaries at an event hosted by Quilt.AI. First, he spoke with Ali Eslami, a Distinguished Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, who built the prototype for what is now AI Search. Ali talked about how working on AI can feel like surfing, and what went into connecting Gemini to Google Search to create what he called "neural Google."

After that, Oz chats with Saad Mohseni about his work with MOBY Group. Saad guides Oz through his twenty-year effort to bring top-tier news and entertainment to Afghanistan and beyond — from a reality TV singing competition that changed the country, to using WhatsApp and AI to provide education to girls banned from school.

Additional Reading: 
Radio Free Afghanistan – HarperCollins

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 

Live from The Royal Institution of Great Britain, it's TechStuff! Oz sat down with two visionaries at an event hosted by Quilt.AI. First, he spoke with Ali Eslami, a Distinguished Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, who built the prototype for what is now AI Search. Ali talked about how working on AI can feel like surfing, and what went into connecting Gemini to Google Search to create what he called "neural Google."
After that, Oz chats with Saad Mohseni about his work with MOBY Group. Saad guides Oz through his twenty-year effort to bring top-tier news and entertainment to Afghanistan and beyond &mdash; from a reality TV singing competition that changed the country, to using WhatsApp and AI to provide education to girls banned from school.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/radio-free-afghanistan-saad-mohsenijenna-krajeski?variant=41590096494626">Radio Free Afghanistan &ndash; HarperCollins</a></li>
</ul>
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼<a href="https://nordvpn.com/podcast/?coupon=techstuff&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content&amp;utm_source=aff141920&amp;utm_campaign=off1001"> https://nordvpn.com/techstuff</a> Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee&nbsp;

Why Building AI At DeepMind Feels Like ‘Surfing’

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0a852e34-3e90-4f2d-ba7f-b43a018392a2/transcript

The Sad Tale of HitchBot

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