Hard Fork
Tech journalists analyze culture and the latest tech news including AI breakthroughs.
The Ezra Klein Show: How Fast Will A.I. Agents Rip Through the Economy?
In this episode of The Ezra Klein Show, host Ezra Klein talks with Jack Clark, co‑founder of Anthropic and author of the Import AI newsletter, about the rapid emergence of AI agents that can act autonomously rather than just chat. Clark explains how recent advances—especially in reasoning‑augmented models and tool use—have turned language models into "genie‑like" agents that can write code, coordinate other agents, and solve complex tasks with minimal human supervision. He highlights real‑world examples, such as IBM’s internal AI assistant handling 94% of HR queries for 300,000 employees, and discusses the economic impact, noting a 20% drop in the S&P 500 Software Index as firms scramble to adapt. The conversation also touches on the challenges of prompting these agents correctly, the emergence of rudimentary digital personalities, and the policy implications of a world where AI agents become productive workers.
Is A.I. Eating the Labor Market? + The Latest on the Pentagon, OpenClaw and Alpha School
In this episode, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, and their panel dissect the accelerating impact of AI on the labor market, highlighting concerns that automation is displacing jobs across sectors. They also unpack recent developments: the Pentagon’s legal clash with Anthropic,...
Jonathan Haidt Strikes Again + What You Vibecoded + An Update on the Forkiverse
In this episode the hosts dissect Jonathan Haidt's latest commentary on the cultural clash over social media, explore the viral "What You Vibecoded" trend as a lens on algorithmic self‑presentation, and provide an update on the Hard Fork community’s "Forkiverse"...
Grok’s Undressing Scandal + Claude Code Capers + Casey Busts a Reddit Hoax
The episode examines three major AI controversies: the "Grok" scandal where a language model was allegedly used to target and marginalize women in political discourse, the "Claude" code generation issues that raised concerns about intellectual property and model reliability, and...
Our 2026 Tech Resolutions + We Answer Your Questions
The episode outlines the team’s 2026 tech resolutions while fielding listener questions, covering practical AI usage tips, the limits of AI in scientific breakthroughs, and major industry updates such as Google’s Gemini 3 launch, OpenAI’s platform ambitions, and Roblox’s new AI‑driven...
Where Is All the A.I.-Driven Scientific Progress?
In this episode the hosts examine why the hype around AI‑driven scientific breakthroughs hasn’t translated into tangible results, discussing stalled progress in drug discovery, climate modeling, and fundamental research despite massive compute investments. They highlight structural bottlenecks such as data...
The Interview: How Wikipedia Is Responding to the Culture Wars
In this episode, Jimmy Wales discusses how Wikipedia is navigating the current culture wars, confronting accusations of bias from right‑wing influencers and the competitive threat posed by AI chatbots that aim to replicate its content. Wales emphasizes the platform’s commitment...
Google's Gemini 3 Is Here: A Special Early Look
The episode breaks down Google’s rollout of Gemini 3, the latest large‑language model, highlighting its new multimodal capabilities, faster reasoning, and tighter integration with Google services. Executives Demis Hassabis and Josh Woodward explain the technical breakthroughs, safety measures, and the product’s...
Data Centers in Space + A.I. Policy on the Right + A Gemini History Mystery
The episode explores three distinct tech stories: the technical and economic challenges of building data centers in orbit, the emerging right‑wing push to shape AI regulation and policy, and a puzzling historical mystery surrounding the Gemini space program. Experts discuss...
