Marketplace Tech

On this week’s Bytes: Week in Review: Apple irked customers with movie ads, the Mideast conflict reminded us of the lack of security in smart surveillance cameras, and a federal judge handed down a landmark ruling on AI’s use of copyrighted works, citing a legal doctrine known as fair use.

Demand for data centers continues to grow everywhere, but their environmental impacts are causing some to consider a different option: build them in space, where there's lots of room, solar power and a cold environment. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Evan Robinson-Johnson, business reporter at The Information, to learn more.

Over the last several days, you may have seen the latest examples of a growing phenomenon: satellite images of a conflict zone. This time, they were of Iranian nuclear sites, before and after American bombs struck. Images like these come from commercial satellite companies, a change from our past reliance on government-provided photographs. The shift toward commercial satellites gained steam amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Mariel Borowitz, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who specializes in space policy and the satellite industry.

Iran's government knocked out internet and mobile networks after Israel began bombing the country. That’s left the population with little to no access to critical information. One person who watched this played out is Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director at Holistic Resilience, an organization that helps Iranians circumvent government censorship. He says Iran's government often restricts internet during critical times.

In California, the state Senate has voted in favor of a so-called AI Bill of Rights, which would establish new guardrails around automated decision systems. To learn more about them, Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Kate Brennan, associate director of the think tank AI Now Institute.

OpenAI and Microsoft are reportedly caught up in protracted behind-the-scenes negotiations that are in danger of boiling over into public conflict. Prosecutors say the man accused of assassinating a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker used online data brokers to help target his victims. And, the Trump Organization unveiled a new venture this week: a mobile service and a smartphone. Marketplace’s Nova Safo is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas at The Information, who explains why.

Despite having free primary schools, children in Malawi are lagging behind. According to UNESCO, almost 90% of them cant read a simple sentence at the age of 10, due in part to a shortage of teachers and basic resources. But the government has gone for a high-tech solution — digital tablets.

Protests in Southern California and around the country over raids targeting undocumented immigrants played out differently on social media depending on the person or the platform. They’re peaceful - look at the carnival atmosphere. They’re violent - Los Angeles is in flames. These competing narratives underline the hyper-siloed nature of online discourse and the power of misinformation. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Renee DiResta, Research Professor at Georgetown University about how protest discourse has been playing out online.

Data analytics company Palantir has many contracts with federal government, just as the Trump administration is reportedly trying to construct a centralized database combining information from various agencies. That's brought Palantir renewed scrutiny. Joseph Cox has been following all of this at the tech news site 404 Media.

On today’s episode of Marketplace Tech, Nova Safo speaks with Ari Redbord, global head of policy with the blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, about the recent wave of cryptocurrency “wrench attacks” and why more bad actors are going after high-profile crypto investors with threats of physical violence.

Today on “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we're looking at Apple's latest software and operating system updates. Also, there's a tentative labor deal between video game actors and studios. And we'll remember legendary Apple software engineer Bill Atkinson, who died at the age of 74. We begin with Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference which came and went this week with some mixed reactions. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Anita Ramaswamy, Columnist for The Information, to get her take on this year’s WWDC. Tech Bytes for June 13 More on everything we talked about “Apple fails to clear a low bar on AI” - from The Wall Street Journal “Apple underwhelms at WWDC with incremental AI changes, new software name and ‘liquid glass’ design” - from The Associated Press ”Video game performers on strike for almost a year over AI issues reach a tentative deal” - from The Associated Press “Videogame voice actors strike 'suspended' following agreement with game companies: 'All SAG-AFTRA members are instructed to return to work’” - from PC Gamer “Bill Atkinson, Macintosh Pioneer and Inventor of Hypercard, Dies at 74” - from WIRED “Bill Atkinson, who made computers easier to use, is dead at 74” - from The New York Times

Building work has started in the Finnish capital Helsinki on what’s expected to become the biggest startup campus in Europe. Finland’s government says it wants the small Nordic nation to offer the best startup ecosystem in Europe. The BBC’s Maddy Savage has this story.

There's a trial run taking place over a type of digital wallet for data. Consumers are in control, and they can sell their data to the highest bidder. This trial run is taking place in Brazil, the first country to try something like this on a national scale. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Sao Paolo-based journalist Gabriel Daros. He's been covering the story for the news site Rest of World.

The International Energy Agency projects the global market value of critical minerals could reach almost $800 billion by 2040. That's because we must have them for the electrified future. And right now, China is a dominant supplier. The Trump administration wants to find other sources, and it's looking to U.S. and international waters to mine minerals on the ocean floor. Marketplace contributor Daniel Ackerman has been reporting on the deep-sea mining companies that are working to figure out how to harvest in unforgiving terrain.

There’s a lawsuit right now that’s testing the question of whether AI chatbots are protected by the First Amendment. And before we get into it, a warning that our story today includes discussion of suicide. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Jane Bambauer, law professor at the University of Florida, who’s been following this case.

Yoshua Bengio, one of the so-called godfathers of AI, wants it to be less human. Plus, a federal judge temporarily blocked a law in Florida that would ban kids under 14 from getting social media accounts. But first, Meta announced an energy deal with one of the country's biggest operators of nuclear reactors. Marketplace’s Nova Safo is joined by Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at the venture capital firm Collab Capital, to break down these tech stories from the week.

We've been looking at how technology is changing agriculture. Last month, we visited Central California where there's new investment in everything from electric tractors and leaf sensors to upskilling farmworkers. Today, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams visits our neighbor to the north. Specifically, Canada's first fully-automated greenhouse. It's cost millions to set up, and it's just in time for a trade war.

AI-generated deepfakes are everywhere on social media. Now, you can take a test developed by Northwestern University to see how well you spot them. Marketplace’s Nova Safo took the test, sifting through a bunch of real and fake images. He got five out of six right, which is the average in a study Northwestern conducted. Lead researcher Matt Groh also helped develop a litmus test, a series of things to look for to spot deepfakes.

On this episode of “Marketplace Tech,” host Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Christopher Mims, a tech journalist at The Wall Street Journal, about the recent evolution of brain computer interfaces — technology that has enabled people with paralysis to move prosthetic limbs or type out communication using computer implants in their brains — and the neurotech startups trying to bring their implants to a larger market by making them less invasive.

Facial recognition systems use artificial intelligence to analyze patterns in faces, and they've come under increasing scrutiny, particularly in policing. There have been multiple instances of false positives leading to the arrest and detainment of innocent people. There's no federal regulation of this technology, but at least a dozen states have laws that limit its use. So, some law enforcement authorities have turned to a new system called Track, made by a company called Veritone. It doesn't analyze faces, but looks to the rest of the body for clues — things like clothing, body type or hair — according to recent reporting by James O'Donnell for MIT Technology Review.