What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the...
Every Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.
226
When A.I. Denies Your Health Care
A predictive algorithm tucked into Medicare Advantage plans is routinely denying coverage for patients, leaving them with little recourse.
26 min
227
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Woes
Cost cutting, regulators, and Elon’s obsession with Twitter have cast doubt on Tesla’s promise of a fully autonomous vehicle.
29 min
228
The Case Against TikTok
After years of negotiations, and a testy hearing, the government seems set to ban it.
32 min
229
When A.I. Steals Your Voice
Your mom hears you calling in distress, but it’s not really you.
22 min
230
Where Is Silicon Valley Going to Bank Now?
The easiest money is gone for the industry.
25 min
231
Would You Let A.I. Date For You?
Would your personal profile benefit from an impersonal touch?
26 min
232
When Meta Tells Law Enforcement About Your Abor...
What does Big Tech need to do to protect users in Post-Roe America?
22 min
233
The Hollywood Weight Loss Wonder Drug
Are diabetics competing with celebs for Ozempic?
28 min
234
What Would Convince a Lab Leak Skeptic?
Why one virologist doesn’t find the Department of Energy’s assessment convincing.
29 min
235
Is a 25-Year-Old’s Brain Mature?
How the new science of brain development isn’t just changing policy, but how we live.
21 min
236
Why A.I. Says the Darndest Things
Microsoft is working out the kinks of their chatbot in real time, and we're the guinea pigs.
25 min
237
The Baby-Sleep Industrial Complex
Is the Snoo a life-saving necessity, or $1700 luxury item for bougie babies?
28 min
238
What Made the Balloon Drama Pop Off?
Blown cover or just blown off course?
32 min
239
Contraband Tech Behind Bars
Why prisoners risk the consequences to have a cell phone.
28 min
240
Why Ban TikTok?
If the U.S. wants to protect users, there are better options.
24 min
241
Did a Twentysomething Con America’s Biggest Bank?
How the start-up “Frank” went from a shiny new acquisition to “a huge mistake” for JP Morgan Chase.
29 min
242
How COVID Changes Our Immune Systems
The data doesn't tell the whole story.
25 min
243
Did A.I. Write This Headline?
No, but Silicon Valley thinks it can.
31 min
244
Will Google Get Broken Up?
The tech giant's online ad business has printed money for more than a decade. The Justice Department is coming for it.
24 min
245
Does Meta Even Care When Its Users Get Hacked?
The surest way to get your Instagram account back is to know somebody who works there.
26 min
246
An Antivax Dog Whistle Goes Viral
A data scientist and epidemiologist is just answering questions.
26 min
247
Tesla’s No Good, Very Bad Year
Elon Musk promised an “epic end of year” to Tesla investors in 2022. But the stock crashed instead. What happened?
28 min
248
Why the Feds Want to Kill Noncompetes
How the proliferation of noncompete clauses hurts workers and costs the economy billions.
19 min
249
How War in Taiwan Could Short-Circuit U.S. Tech
Why the Biden administration views microchip manufacturing as an issue of national security.
22 min
250
Will Southwest Be Held Accountable?
Why consumers can’t vote with their feet when it comes to flying.
25 min