The AIs are officially out of control | The Vergecast

Intro (0s)

• The hosts introduce the podcast and discuss potential names for Google's latest AI model, including Glenda, Greg, and Gary.
• They mention that there is a lot of news in the world of AI and that they will be discussing it in the podcast.
• They announce that there will be two lightning rounds in the podcast and invite potential sponsors to contact them.
• No information provided.

Google cuts deal with Reddit (1m38s)

• Google and Reddit have entered into a $60 million per year deal, where Google will train its AI systems using Reddit's vast human-generated data, known as the "Reddit Corpus."
• Reddit's unique platform, where humans answer questions in a discoverable way, makes it essential for Google's search engine, despite Reddit's inferior search product.
• Google's partnership with Reddit provides access to real-time conversations and metadata, potentially enhancing search results.
• The deal raises concerns about the existential value of $60 million for the internet, considering Google's substantial expenses, such as payments to Apple for being the default search engine.
• Google's search engine faces challenges due to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, making Reddit's human-generated corpus invaluable.
• Google's recent deals with AI companies signal to the market that there is money to be made in AI, potentially leading to more expensive lawsuits for Google.
• Reddit's monetization strategy may be impacted by the increased traffic without a significant increase in revenue.
• Google's search product is becoming more reliant on social platforms to effectively manage AI-generated content and prioritize human conversations.
• The future of power dynamics in the tech industry is uncertain as Google's dominance is challenged by the rise of social platforms.

Google Gemini creates images now (16m54s)

• Google's AI image generator, Gemini, aimed to promote diversity but faced criticism for displaying racially diverse images of Nazis instead of the typical white supremacist representation.
• Gemini's diversity efforts sparked a culture war, with accusations of bias against white people, leading Google to apologize and pause the image generation feature due to diversity errors.
• The challenge lies in creating generative AI tools that contribute to culture while avoiding unintended biases and ethical concerns.
• AI art lacks authenticity and emotional depth compared to human-created art, and its business-driven approach has led to negative perceptions among artists and fans.
• The inherent inauthenticity of AI art stems from its statistical averaging of past data, resulting in generic and predictable outcomes.
• Controversies arise when AI art generates unexpected or controversial results, such as Gemini's racially diverse Nazi imagery, due to the clash between the expectation of factual answers from AI systems and the subjective nature of art.
• AI systems can now generate indistinguishable human-written text, posing risks for malicious purposes like spreading misinformation or creating fake news.
• Users should be aware of AI systems' limitations and not rely on them for accurate or truthful information.
• AI systems are still developing and will likely become more sophisticated in the future.

ChatGPT had a stroke y'all (28m38s)

• OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, experienced an unexplained error for approximately eight hours, generating nonsensical responses. The cause is unknown, but it may be related to a new feature or test.
• Google's upcoming AI product, Bard, has been criticized for its gender-biased and uncreative name.
• The Vergecast hosts discuss the proliferation of AI language models and their confusing naming conventions, expressing frustration with the lack of gender-neutral names and the array of Gemini variants.
• The hosts acknowledge listener concerns about repetitive advertisements during the podcast and assure the audience that steps have been taken to resolve the issue.
• Due to time constraints, the hosts decide to focus on one item from the list for the lightning round segment.

Walmart buys Vizio (37m30s)

• Walmart is acquiring Vio, a connected TV advertising platform, for $2.3 billion to strengthen its advertising network, Walmart Connect.
• Amazon and Walmart are emerging as significant competitors to Google and Meta in the advertising sector.
• Connected TV advertising is seen as the next frontier in the advertising industry, with companies like Telly offering free TVs in exchange for viewing ads.
• LG and Sony TVs are constantly sending packets of data, even when not allowed, potentially sharing user information with advertisers.
• Vizio has declined and become a commodity screen advertising vendor, while Roku and Prime TVs are showing a trend of decreasing quality while increasing the amount of advertisements displayed.

Nilay complains about his Frame TV again (47m17s)

• Samsung is expanding support for the Orac Cast standard, allowing devices to easily connect and play music in sync.
• Samsung's Frame TV has a unique "art mode" feature that can be confusing to use and has some limitations.
• A $99 dongle is available to help with some of the Frame TV's limitations, but it is not well-received by users.
• Samsung removed the art mode API from its 2022 and newer Frame TVs, limiting third-party app control of the TV's art mode.
• The Frame TV lacks a black frame option, leading to user confusion.
• The TV's art mode is not a channel or input but rather a state of being turned off.
• Users have created third-party art mode solutions, such as using a USB stick or creating a virtual power button through Homebridge.
• The lack of an API for the Frame TV has frustrated users who cannot easily customize or control the TV's settings.

Amazon Echo Hub (54m14s)

• The Amazon Echo Hub simplifies smart home control with physical buttons on a wall-mountable screen.
• It addresses the limitations of using smartphone apps or voice assistants alone, especially for households with multiple users or those who find voice commands challenging.
• The Echo Hub supports the Matter smart home standard but currently works best with Alexa-compatible devices.
• Matter, the new smart home standard, is still in its early stages but promises seamless integration of devices from different ecosystems.
• Samsung's Frame TV is considered its most important product due to its originality and success, inspiring other companies to copy its concept.

Apple Sports app released (1h0m7s)

• Apple launched a sports app called Apple Sports, which displays sports scores and betting odds powered by DraftKings.
• The inclusion of betting odds in the app suggests that Apple may be considering expanding into sports streaming or sports gambling.
• Sports gambling has become mainstream and is no longer seen as being against Apple's brand image.
• Apple's Services Revenue could potentially benefit from the addition of a gambling feature, as it would allow the company to directly extract money from users.
• Critics argue that the app is a gateway to more direct forms of gambling and that Apple is blurring the line between entertainment and gambling.
• Apple's involvement in gambling could potentially normalize betting and make it more accessible to a wider audience, including children and vulnerable individuals.

Apple's post quantum cryptography for iMessage (1h8m14s)

• Apple announced post-quantum cryptography for iMessage, claiming it is more secure than Signal's implementation.
• Apple created its own security metrics and labeled itself as level three, without providing clear comparisons or labels.
• Post-quantum cryptography is necessary as current cryptography methods will not hold up against quantum computers.
• Apple's announcement lacks details on expected battery performance for the iPhone 15.
• Quantum cryptography is expected to become more important in the future as quantum computing advances.
• The head of IBM Quantum research was interviewed on Decoder, discussing the need for post-quantum cryptography.
• His opinion was that it is not a big concern at the moment.
• Nei, the head of IBM Quantum research, expressed mixed feelings about the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
• Nei explained quantum computing in simple terms, describing its ability to store a lot of data but without providing a clear understanding of how it works.

EV price wars heats back up (1h11m15s)

• Rivian is laying off 10% of its workforce due to overproduction and a cooling off of the EV market, while Ford is cutting Mach-E prices in response to limited competition from Tesla's Model 3 and Y.
• Traditional car companies are missing the opportunity to make affordable EVs like Tesla, while Hyundai and Kia are focusing on mainstream segments and pricing their EVs competitively.
• The Prius Prime is in high demand due to its improved design, while plug-in hybrids with limited electric range are not practical.
• Fubo is suing Fox and Disney, and "Sपू" (Sports Hulu) has become the popular name for the upcoming sports streaming service.
• ESPN should consider naming its potential sports streaming service "ESPN Max" to capitalize on its brand recognition.
• The Vergecast team will be doing a live show at South by Southwest on March 8th as part of the Box Podcast Network stage.