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.
426
A Hidden Side of Police Abuse
You can’t reform the police if you don’t know what surveillance technology they’re using.
15 min
427
Why Remote Learning Failed
After three months of school closures, data about the impact of the coronavirus on learning is starting to trickle in. It’s far from reassuring.
20 min
428
Is This the End of Facial Recognition?
In the space of a week, development of the powerful surveillance technology has come to a screeching halt.
20 min
429
Your Delivery Habit Isn't Helping
Apps like DoorDash and Grubhub are doing more harm than good.
18 min
430
Trump and Twitter Go to War
Twitter fact checked the president’s tweets. Two days later, he issued an executive order that aims to redefine free speech online.
18 min
431
What Is Elon Musk Thinking?
A public battle over the closure of a Tesla plant shows what happens when big tech goes up against local government.
17 min
432
Decoding the Flood of COVID Data
How to turn data into decisions.
17 min
433
Should You Get an Antibody Test?
A layperson and a scientist talk us through what they’re good for.
22 min
434
How the Crisis Could Embolden Big Tech
While much of the economy suffers fallout from the coronavirus, the tech giants see an opportunity.
16 min
435
Can We Really Make a Safe Vaccine in 18 Months?
How fast is too fast when it comes to finding the fix for COVID-19?
20 min
436
Can the U.S. Really Track the Coronavirus?
Widespread contact tracing will be critical for preventing a resurgence of the coronavirus.
20 min
437
The Limits of Coronavirus Predictions
Can mathematical models chart the course of this pandemic?
16 min
438
Risking Your Life for $8.71
While much of the country shelters indoors, Instacart workers have found themselves on the front lines of COVID-19. Who’s keeping them safe?
18 min
439
Where Are All the Tests?
Here’s why America isn’t ready for widespread testing.
22 min
440
Big Tech Eyes the Pandemic
Silicon Valley’s biggest players have been trying to break into health care for years. The coronavirus may provide an opportunity.
20 min
441
What If They Close All the Schools?
As the coronavirus spreads across the country, many schools are considering moving their classes online. For many, that’s not a realistic option.
15 min
442
Did the Internet Doom a Pregnancy?
The real-life cost of online misinformation.
19 min
443
Did Money Corrupt an A.I. Utopia?
OpenAI was supposed to democratize the race to build artificial intelligence. Then profits got in the way.
17 min
444
Inside Facebook’s Supreme Court
The social network spent a year building its own version of an independent judiciary. Can it succeed?
19 min
445
Coronavirus Tests China's Surveillance State
As the virus spreads across China, Xi Jinping’s censorship and surveillance network is being strained to its limit.
15 min
446
Iowa’s App-ocalypse
The debacle in Iowa doesn’t bode well for Democrats’ effort to restore digital dominance.
15 min
447
Why Is the U.S. Scared of Huawei?
Britain’s defiance of the U.S over 5G may set a precedent for the rest of the West.
16 min
448
Which Tech Companies Are Doing the Most Harm?
As “techlash” reaches a fever pitch, which companies actually deserve the heat?
19 min
449
The Silicon Valley Dream Was Always a Fantasy
Anna Wiener details her journey through tech’s uncanny valley.
20 min
450
How Targeted Ads Started Watching Us All
Two companies changed the advertising industry forever. We’re just beginning to see the consequences.
17 min