Spies aren't just in the shadows anymore—AI has turned every smartphone and social feed into a battlefield of influence and surveillance. This episode exposes how intelligence agencies, rogue states, and even TikTok are using machine learning to reshape what we know, believe, and fear.

• Apple AI Chief Retiring After Siri Failure
• Claude 4.5 Opus' Soul Document
• OpenAI CEO Declares 'Code Red' to Combat Threats to ChatGPT, Delays Ads Effort
• AI helps drive record $11.8 billion in Black Friday online spending
• I love AI. Why doesn't everyone?
• Dozens of US universities and colleges have announced new AI departments and programs over the last two years; an AI program is now MIT's second-largest major
• Austria's Rebel Nuns Refuse To Give Up Instagram To Stay In Their Convent
• Don't get angry, but the 2025 Oxford Word of the Year is 'rage bait'
• AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet — And Thanksgiving Dinner
• The race to AGI-pill the pope
• Suno Creates an Entire Spotify Catalog's Worth of Music Every Two Weeks, Says Investor Pitch Deck for $250M Fundraise

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paris Martineau, and Jason Howell

Guest: Dr. Anthony Vinci

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Emily Forlini of PCMag joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! Microsoft launched its fall feature drop for Copilot, including a new AI avatar called Mico. Amazon is making headlines with its robotic automation efforts and also unveiled new AR smart glasses for delivery drivers. Jason Howell stops by to discuss Samsung's new Galaxy XR headset, their answer to Apple's Vision Pro.

• Emily discusses Microsoft's new AI avatar Mico, introduced as part of Copilot's fall feature drop with 12 new features, including group project tools and health Q&A. Emily and Mikah debate whether anyone actually wants 'real talk' with a chatbot.
• Mikah covers Amazon's continued automation push, replacing warehouse positions with robots as the company expands its use of robotics throughout its logistics operations. Emily weighs in with her inside knowledge on what this means for real workers.
• Jason Howell joins to talk about Samsung's new $1,799 Galaxy XR headset positioning itself as a direct competitor to Apple's Vision Pro. He explains why built-in Gemini AI makes it special and why smart glasses might ultimately beat big VR headsets.
• Mikah dives into Amazon's new AR smart glasses designed for delivery drivers, featuring hands-free navigation, package scanning, hazard detection, and automatic proof-of-delivery photo capture—all displayed directly in the driver's field of view.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini

Guest: Jason Howell

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Will iRobot's new Roomba's bring the company back to the forefront of robotic vacuums? What to know about Amazon's change of handling voice recordings through Alexa devices. Two new PebbleOS watches are available for pre-order! And the lowdown on the new Pixel 9a smartphone that Google recently announced.

• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week! Jennifer talks about the new Roombas that iRobot has unveiled but is unimpressed by the lack of innovation in these new robotic vacuums.
• Do you have Alexa devices in your household? Be aware of some of the new changes Amazon is making to how Echo devices handle voice recordings.
• Two new Pebble watches are available for pre-order after Google open-sourced PebbleOS in January of this year!
• And friend of the network, Jason Howell, talks with Mikah about Google's newly announced Pixel 9a phone.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Jason Howell

Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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