Shows / Marketplace Tech
Marketplace Tech
Monday through Friday, Marketplace demystifies the digital economy in less than 10 minutes. We look past the hype and ask tough questions about an industry that's constantly changing.
Episodes
Marketplace TechChatGPT for Teens' safeguards don't work, risk assessment finds
OpenAI's new teen-appropriate version of ChatGPT may not be living up to its promises, according to an independent evaluation. The new mode is supposed to have…
Marketplace TechThe promise and risks of AI for mental health support
This story includes references to suicide, self-harm and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text…
Marketplace TechBehind the scenes of an abandoned cyber-scam compound
Interpol estimates scam losses totaled almost $500 billion globally last year. In many cases, it’s not just one bad actor but an entire network of scammers…
Marketplace TechWhat it means when AI helps solve complex math problems
In September, OpenAI said that its models had solved one of math's famous Millennium Prize problems. Then, the lab dropped more than 700 papers tackling…
Marketplace TechPolitical pressure could complicate Anthropic's IPO
Anthropic formally filed to go public this week and about a third of its paperwork is dedicated to potential risks — including political ones. We'll get into…
Marketplace TechAI infrastructure is making smartphones pricier
Consumer electronics and AI data centers need memory chips. But there are only a handful of companies in the world that make them. The surge in demand has…
Marketplace TechThe tech behind spooky season
Halloween haunts have long relied on a little technical wizardry to bring their terrors to life —from lighting and animatronics to digital decorations. But…
Marketplace TechOnly in San Francisco: A picnic about AI's potential risks
Urgent concerns about losing control of AI have burst into the national conversation recently after the OpenAI hack of the open-source AI platform Hugging…
Marketplace TechWhen ChatGPT writes your obituary
Donna Guthrie had obituaries on her mind after her brother passed away in May. She recently celebrated her 80th birthday and started wondering how she might be…
Marketplace TechiPhone Duo's crease is put to the test
Apple's long-awaited iPhone Duo launched this week, and everyone has the same question: can you see a crease? Joanna Stern, founder of media company New…
Marketplace TechBehind the screens: What it’s like to interview an AI news agent
At Alaska News, you can find stories about the new summer sales tax rate in Juneau, a man ticketed for killing a bull moose out of season and about 20 other…
Marketplace TechBumble didn't find its match on the stock market
When Bumble went public five years ago, the dating app known for being a friendlier place for women was valued at $14 billion. But the dating business, the…
Marketplace TechHow easy is it to game AI search results?
More and more people are turning to chatbots to search the web. But researchers are finding these systems can be gamed. We wanted to understand more about how…
Marketplace TechUsing generative AI for election-related research
You might say the 2026 midterms are the first big AI election. The technology has become a key political issue, it’s a significant source of fundraising and…
Marketplace TechAI borrowing slowdown raises questions about investor exposure
It's been a bit of a rocky week in tech markets, particularly for companies heavy on debt. We'll get into it on this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in…
Marketplace TechRegulating the tech sector in the AI era
Europe may have weeks of paid vacation, quaint walkable cities and incredible, affordable local wines. But there's something the continent lacks (besides ice…
Marketplace TechIs AI solving the right problems for consumers?
New AI features are quickly rolling out in the apps we use every day — from Google’s AI-generated search summaries to Meta’s Muse agent. But there's a big gap…
Marketplace TechColleges are training the next generation of content creators
An increasing number of schools are offering classes and even majors and minors in the art of influencing. Charlie Randall is a senior pursuing a double major…
Marketplace TechTalking with AI ghosts of loved ones
There's a growing market for AI models that promise to recreate the experience of interacting with a lost loved one. They're sometimes called generative…
Marketplace TechTrump names his new AI task force the "Super Intelligence Force"
President Donald Trump named a new superhero-sounding AI task force this week dubbed the “Super Intelligence Force.” It's led by Jay Clayton, the new AI Czar…
Marketplace TechHow a Meta AI prompt changed one mom’s approach to online privacy
It started when Kalie Robins posted an Instagram video with her kid. Meta's built in AI chatbot, Muse, started prompting her to ask questions about her…
Marketplace TechAI spending takes center stage ahead of midterms
OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife recently backed out of a planned $25 million donation to Leading the Future, an artificial intelligence-focused…
Marketplace TechWhat could slowing the AI frontier mean for the economy?
The AI industry appears to be getting more serious about safety. Leaders of top companies signed a non-binding agreement at the White House Sept. 30, laying…
- Marketplace Tech
Inside the mindset of AI safety workers
We've been hearing a lot about the threat of out-of-control of AI in recent weeks; mostly, from the people making the technology. There was the Anthropic…
Marketplace TechTrump and tech leaders agree to voluntary AI safety accord
While the White House hosted tech luminaries this week to sign a voluntary agreement on AI safety standards, the Federal Trade Commission opened a broad…
Marketplace TechAI-powered surveillance costs lives at the southern border
Over the last 25 years, the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars to build a "virtual wall" of video surveillance at the southern border. The network…
Marketplace TechCan data centers ever be "good neighbors"?
Further proof — in case you need it — that AI data centers aren't very popular: A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows 60% of Americans aren't…
- Marketplace Tech
Why one X user is microblogging history in real time
Content creator Manny Marotta has gone viral in recent weeks for his X feed recounting the news of 25 years ago as if it's happening now. His minute-by-minute…
Marketplace TechAmazon wants Alexa to finish your to-do list, not just research it
The AI smart speaker market is getting crowded. This year, Amazon, which is a Marketplace underwriter, rolled out a large language model-powered version of its…
Marketplace TechMeta’s new Muse AI agent gives investors the warm-'n-fuzzies
Meta's new Muse AI assistant is having a moment — and it's kind of adorable. Meta announced a slew of new integrations for its AI assistant at a company event…
Marketplace TechFinding common ground in the U.S.-China AI rivalry
AI is the big item on the agenda this week as Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Trump in Washington, D.C. The talks come after a firestorm of…
Marketplace TechThe beauty industry is betting big on AI
The global beauty market is expected to hit almost $600 billion by 2030, according to a report by McKinsey & Company. And just like pretty much every industry…
Marketplace TechThe cost of digitally disconnecting
Sure, you can put down your phone and go touch grass for free. But for those looking for a little help committing to a more disconnected lifestyle, there's a…
Marketplace TechHow attitudes toward AI differ across generations
At this point we've probably all been a part of heated dinner conversations about AI. Rana el Kaliouby has them almost nightly at home. She's an AI scientist…
Marketplace TechTrump rejects AI's "effective altruism" movement
Congress is looking to rein in Flock cameras; plus, Apple has a new way to prove your iPhone photos are real. But first, it's been a wild week in AI. After the…
Marketplace TechInsurers race to cover AI errors
More than 1 in 5 U.S. companies now use artificial intelligence in their daily operations, according to a recent analysis of federal data from Goldman Sachs…
Marketplace TechAI safety requires action, not promises
AI leaders suddenly seem to agree on slowing down the AI race. Anthropic's Dario Amodei published an essay last weekend calling to "pace the frontier" — slow…
Marketplace TechWhy AI models are obsessed with creatures
The problem of AI alignment has become a hot topic. It’s raised questions, like how do we get AI to do what we want, and not what we don't want? For example…
Marketplace TechWhat might our tax system look like in the age of AI?
Our tax system was built around an economy where humans earn wages, companies employ workers, and both contribute to the public purse. So what happens if AI…
Marketplace TechAI safety concerns grow as insiders issue urgent warnings
An Anthropic researcher publicly resigned this week, warning on social media that artificial intelligence companies are “gambling with our lives.” It’s part of…
Marketplace TechWhat's so concerning about the Hugging Face hack?
Nate Soares has been worried about artificial intelligence longer than almost anyone. He's the president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and…
Marketplace TechMeta's youth safety settlement could change how people access the internet
Meta agreed to a settlement last month with 52 attorneys general in a landmark case over teen social media addiction. The company promised a number of…
Marketplace TechThe Silicon Valley hopefuls living in hacker houses
Filmmaker Kenji Yamamoto got a gig working on Apple promotional videos a decade ago and went looking for temporary housing in the pricey Bay Area. What he…
Marketplace TechWhat it's like to log off from a career in tech
More Americans are leaving the labor force for a variety of reasons. The labor force participation rate — which measures the share of working-age Americans who…
Marketplace TechNYC public schools ban AI through middle school
Google survives yet another antitrust case without having to break up its business. Plus, New York City public schools announced a new policy this week banning…
Marketplace TechWhat if the AI boom never turns a profit?
Even if artificial intelligence leads to a more prosperous future in the long run, most agree there will be a lot of disruption in the meantime. Marketplace’s…
Marketplace TechAI in banking: the good, the bad, and the efficient
The banking sector is figuring out how to navigate AI. And the stakes are high. The tech has raised red flags over potential bias, particularly when it comes…
Marketplace TechRing founder Jamie Siminoff on default encryption and AI privacy
Amazon's popular brand of video-enabled smart home and security devices, Ring, is adding a new encryption system called TAKE — Throw Away the Key Encryption…
Marketplace TechICE is collecting DNA from detainees for future policing
Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be responsible for collecting the DNA of nearly a million people in 2025. The genetic material is then sent to the FBI…
Marketplace TechMeta's landmark social media settlement
Meta announced this week that it has agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a landmark trial over social media addiction. It also agreed to add stronger…
Marketplace TechOne historic LA theater's 70 mm movie makeover for "The Odyssey"
Old school film technology is having a moment this summer. Moviegoers have traveled far and wide to see Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in its intended IMAX…
Marketplace TechMeta’s push to make their smart glasses cool
When Meta Ray-Ban glasses were launched in 2021, they didn’t perform so well on the market. But in recent years, Meta has been partnering with fashion brands…
Marketplace TechCalifornia's data and privacy laws aren't being followed
California promised consumers an easier way to protect their personal data. Since 2024, the Delete Act has required the state registration of data brokers —…
Marketplace TechAI loves negative parallelism
Anthropic recently announced it's adding watermarks to all text outputted by its chatbot Claude. But often, you don't need fancy detection software to know…
Marketplace TechOpenAI to offer safety features for teens using ChatGPT
OpenAI is launching ChatGPT for Teens, which has new guardrails to steer conversations from sensitive topics like self-harm or sexual content. It’ll also…
Marketplace TechWhy the Trump administration plans to boost funding for subsea cables
Most of the world’s internet traffic flows through underwater cables on the ocean floor. The wires are also responsible for some $10 trillion worth of…
Marketplace TechCyberattacks on U.S. water systems raise concerns about security
Water systems across a dozen states were targeted by cyberattacks in recent weeks. So far, the water has remained safe to drink, but the incidents have raised…
Marketplace TechAs space launches increase, there aren't enough spaceports
More than 100 rockets took off into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast last year — a new record. And with more rockets taking flight each year, the availability…
Marketplace TechCan an AI music company make nice with human artists?
Suno, an AI music company, wants to partner with independent artists by launching an incubator program called Suno Spark. This program will provide grants…
Marketplace TechStates rush to police AI deepfakes ahead of midterm elections
Anthropic announced it's adding invisible watermarks to all text generated by its chatbot Claude. The AI startup is rolling out the policy globally as part of…