WSJ Tech News Briefing

TikTok is facing bans in several African countries but the reasons are different from the concerns in the U.S. and Europe. WSJ reporter Alexandra Wexler joins host Zoe Thomas to explain what TikTok is facing and how it’s pushing back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A model from Google’s artificial intelligence unit has identified millions of genetic mutations that could cause illness. WSJ science bureau chief Jo Craven McGinty joins host Zoe Thomas to explain how the data could be used to treat diseases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First came online shopping, then Prime, followed by AWS. But when it comes to Amazon’s next big hit, the tech giant continues to fumble. WSJ reporter Sebastian Herrera joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss the company’s yearslong search for its “fourth pillar.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instacart is set to go public at a valuation less than one quarter of its peak a few years ago. WSJ reporter Berber Jin joins host Zoe Thomas to explain why this spells losses for venture capital investors and what lessons VCs and startups are taking away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Regulators this week will discuss how to conduct clinical trials of artificial wombs. This technology could save the lives of very premature babies, but raises ethical and practical questions for testing. WSJ reporter Liz Essley Whyte joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss how some of these devices work and the concerns around them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arm has the year’s biggest IPO. Though it’s not a household name, its semiconductor designs live inside nearly all of the world's smartphones. WSJ semiconductors reporter Asa Fitch joins host Zoe Thomas to explain how the company became so valuable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fashion industry is turning to artificial intelligence to help expand the body types and backgrounds of models in ads. Katharine Zarrella, the Fashion Director of WSJ Off Duty, joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss how the fashion world is dressing up AI. Plus, tech leaders descended on Washington to share their thoughts on how AI should be regulated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple’s latest product updates offer a glimpse at some of the challenges the iPhone maker is facing. In this all Apple episode, members from WSJ’s personal tech team will unpack the new features. Plus, we’ll explore the mystery behind how case makers always seem to know what the newest phones will look like. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A landmark antitrust case between the Justice Department and Google is set to get underway today. The legal team defending the search giant was instrumental in the 1990’s monopoly case against Microsoft. WSJ Google reporter Miles Kruppa joins host Zoe Thomas to explain why the lawyers say the situation this time is different and how their experience could impact the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon plans to build a vast network of artificial-intelligence powered technology , drones, and autonomous systems. WSJ national security correspondent Nancy Youssef joins host Zoe Thomas to explain how it could help the U.S. keep pace with adversaries like China. Plus, why schools are facing mounting piles of e-waste . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Elon Musk bought Twitter he promised to run the platform with fairness and transparency. But, Wall Street Journal reporting shows that, nearly a year into his ownership Musk is making a lot of choices based on impulses and the requests of friends. WSJ reporter Georgia Wells joins host Zoe Thomas to explain what that means for the platform and its future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officials are doling out billions to install high-speed internet in rural parts of the country. However, the high costs of laying down fiber optic cables have some questioning if there are better ways to spend the money. WSJ tech policy reporter Ryan Tracy joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss their arguments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leaders in artificial intelligence, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, are debating what the biggest risks created by the technology are. Could it wipe out humanity or enforce dangerous biases? WSJ reporter Deepa Seetharaman joins host Zoe Thomas to explain the threats and the divisions within the AI sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this EV-focused episode, we look at how the electric-vehicle boom is playing out across industries and continents —sparking investment in the American South and China, and in startups mining for the minerals that power the industry. Zoe Thom as hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this all-Twitter episode, Tech News Briefing discusses newly revealed details from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, examines the Twitter superfans that are rejecting the changes he has made as CEO, including renaming it X, and digs intothe platform’s role as a main stage for political dialogue in the 2024 election. Zoe Thomas hosts this special episode looking at Twitter’s transformation into X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Screens and a lack of sunlight are harming children’s vision. Half the global population is expected to be nearsighted b y 2050, according to the World Health Organization. WSJ family and tech columnist Julie Jargon joins host Zoe Thomas to explain how the situation got so bad and one tech fix that could help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you noticed the cost of streaming services going up? Reporter Robbie Whelan explains what’s behind “streamflation.” Plus, scientists say natural disasters are getting worse. WSJ personal-tech reporter Cordilia James joins host Zoe Thomas with tips on how to prepare your smartphone and more before devastation strikes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choosing an electric vehicle has become a lot like comparison shopping for the latest tech gadget. WSJ’s senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern joins host Zoe Thomas to explain how she tested three EVs’ battery life, charging compatibility and more to pick her new “computer on wheels.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If generative artificial intelligence is going to upend learning, then startups and investors want to be part of it. Varun Gulati, CEO of LitLab, describes how his company’s AI tool can make learning to read more personal. And Reach Capital’s Jennifer Carolan explains why the generative AI boom is different from edtech investment trends of the past. This is part three of our series Reading, Writing, and Algorithms. Click the links to listen to episode 1 and episode 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Companies are willing to pay eye-watering salaries to fill artificial-intelligence roles. WSJ reporter Chip Cutter explains why businesses outside of tech are offering up to $900,000 a year to fill AI jobs. Plus, the battle to ban TikTok in Montana has one man at its center, state Attorney General Austin Knudsen. WSJ reporter Meghan Bobrowsky joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss his motivations and how a court battle over the law could play out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices