Today we have on repeat guest Karen Hao, a journalist who writes for the Atlantic and has been one of the sharpest minds on OpenAI and this emerging industry. We talk about DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model that deleted over a trillion dollars out of the NASDAQ and temporarily tanked NVIDIA’s seemingly unstoppable growth and how it might change the way American banks, government, and users think about Sam Altman and his mandate of “scale, scale, scale.”
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The executive orders and proposals over the past couple of days on buying out federal workers, transsexual surgery, and anti-Semitism are stunning alterations in the course of recent American history. Give a listen.
Social media bans for minors have been making the rounds internationally. Now, Congress is looking to follow that lead.
In November, Australia imposed a sweeping ban on social media for users under 16 years old. The ban holds social media companies responsible for enforcing age restrictions on their sites and prohibits minors under that age limit from using those platforms or creating new accounts.
The law doesn't name specific apps or websites, but companies could face fines of up to $32 million if they violate the ban.
We discuss how social media bans like Australia's are enforced and what it would take to pass similar measures in the U.S.
There are concerns that an international US foreign aid cut will reverse gains, especially in the fight against HIV
Who are the M23 - the group operating in eastern DR Congo?
And how a non-alcoholic bar in Ghana is challenging the drinking culture
Presenter Charles Gitonga
Producers: Frenny Jowi in Nairobi with Yvette Twagiramariya and Bella Hassan in London.
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
A Kanaka Maoli student at Yale is working on an AI tool to help clear criminal records of fellow Native Hawaiians. A Kiowa writer and artist is developing creative pathways to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. And a Tohono O’odham knowledge protector is archiving recordings and pictures from her tribe. Those are among this year’s young people selected as Champions for Change by the Center for Native American Youth. We’ll hear from them and get their stories of inspiration.
On day one of his second term, President Donald Trump began the process of pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization. Since then, the State Department has also stopped funding for nearly all aid programs addressing crises around the world. Reset discusses what’s at stake for global health and humanitarian efforts with executive director of the Robert J. Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Dr. Robert Murphy and MedGlobal president Dr. Zaher Sahloul.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
President Trump's actions this week show the scope of his bid to reshape the federal government, Senate confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr. and results are in from a national assessment of reading and math, nearly five years since the start of the pandemic.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Diane Webber, Nicole Cohen, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Claire Murashima, and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Rebels linked to Rwanda have occupied the city of Goma in eastern Congo. Our correspondent reports on the horrific scenes there, and warns that Rwanda’s belligerence may be part of a bigger plan to redraw the map of Africa. How microplastics may be affecting our health (10:43). And why Gen Z loves astrology apps (16:33).
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn, a legendary Silicon Valley investor, and author of the new book Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future. Hoffman joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss his optimistic case for AI, the massive investments flooding into the field, and whether they can possibly pay off. Tune in to hear Hoffman's insider perspective on OpenAI's $6.6 billion raise, the emergence of Chinese AI competitor DeepSeek, and why he believes these unprecedented investments will seem small in retrospect. We also cover the evolving Microsoft-OpenAI relationship, tech CEOs gravitating toward Trump, and Hoffman's views on AI regulation and TikTok's future. Hit play for a deep dive into AI's trajectory from one of the industry's most influential voices.
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