Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers ...
Why the Take It Down Act is a not a law, but a weapon
Today, I’m talking to Verge policy editor Adi Robertson about a bill called the Take It Down Act, which is one in a long line of bills that would make it illegal to distribute non-consensual intimate imagery, or NCII. This is a real and devastating problem on the internet, and AI is just making it worse.
But Adi just wrote a long piece arguing that giving the Trump administration new powers over speech in this way would be a mistake. So in this episode, Adi and I really get into the details of the Take it Down Act, how it might be weaponized, and why we ultimately can’t trust anything the Trump administration says about wanting to solve this problem.
Links:
The Take It Down Act isn’t a law, it’s a weapon | Verge
A bill combatting the spread of AI deepfakes just passed the Senate | Verge
Welcome to the era of gangster tech regulation | Verge
FTC workers are getting terminated | Verge
Bluesky deletes AI protest video of Trump sucking Musk's toes | 404 Media
Trump supports Take It Down Act so he can silence critics | EFF
Scarlett Johansson calls for deepfake ban after AI video goes viral | Verge
The FCC is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech | Decoder
Trolls have flooded X with graphic Taylor Swift AI fakes | Verge
Teen girls confront an epidemic of deepfake nudes in schools | NYT
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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52:14
Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour on AI, press freedom, and the future of news
Almar Latour is the publisher of the Wall Street Journal and also CEO of its parent company, Dow Jones — itself a part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Almar's been with the paper since the 90s, and now he's got insight into all the modern messes. He's made a big deal with OpenAI, while also suing Perplexity — all while building his own AI data products for Dow Jones customers.
He's also a strong defender of press freedom who fought to have Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich released from Russia after being imprisoned for more than a year — while News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch famously has deep ties to Trump and has overseen a vastly polarized and politicized era of news media.
Links:
Here are the WSJ journalists whose jobs were eliminated | Talking Biz News
OpenAI, WSJ parent strike content deal valued at over $250M | Wall Street Journal
News Corp sues Perplexity for ripping off WSJ, New York Post | The Verge
Dow Jones negotiates AI usage rights with 4,000 publishers | Nieman Lab
Rupert Murdoch joins Trump in Oval Office | The Hollywood Reporter
WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is free | Wall Street Journal
Trump sues Iowa newspaper and top pollster | Reuters
The FCC is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech | The Verge
CBS considers caving on Trump lawsuit to save Skydance merger | The Verge
Why The Atlantic signed a deal with OpenAI | Decoder
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/626229
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:08:31
Flying is still safe, for now — but the FAA isn’t
So today I’m talking to Andy Hawkins, The Verge’s transportation editor, about what’s going on in the skies. Andy just edited a big piece for us by writer Darryl Campbell that helps put a lot of what’s happening in air travel right now in perspective. It has some very reassuring data points, but it also raises important questions about what we need to do next to reinstill confidence in air travel.
Andy and I talked about how safe it really is to fly right now — extremely safe, it turns out — and how the current air traffic systems might change for better and worse. And, of course, we talked about Elon Musk.
Links:
What’s the deal with all these airplane crashes? | Verge
How Elon Musk muscled his way into the FAA | Bloomberg
Elon Musk says upgrade of FAA’s air traffic control system is failing | CNN
FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk’s Starlink, sources say | WashPo
FAA officials ordered staff to find funding for Elon Musk’s Starlink | Rolling Stone
FAA announces ‘hiring supercharge’ for air traffic controllers | Forbes
Air traffic control trainees to get raise, in nod to cost of living | NYT
Some of the 400 jobs that were cut at the FAA helped support air safety | AP
DC plane crash marks first major commercial crash in US since 2009 | ABC
What the ATC controller sees | Flight Training Central
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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40:43
Amazon’s Panos Panay on the long road to Alexa’s AI overhaul
Panos Panay is in charge of devices and services at Amazon — that's everything from Alexa and Kindle to Ring, Eero, and even the Project Kuiper satellite internet service that's meant to compete with Starlink.
He's led the team through giving Alexa a big AI infusion which is what drew him to Amazon after nearly 20 years with Microsoft. Like so many folks in tech, he sees AI as a platform shift that will change the way we use computers.
Fair warning: We talk about Alexa a lot in this one, so you might want to go mute your Alexa device mics now.
Links:
With Alexa Plus, Amazon finally reinvents its best product | Verge
The future of the Kindle with Panos Panay | Vergecast
Amazon announces AI-powered Alexa Plus | Verge
All of the announcements from Amazon’s Alexa Plus event | Verge
Alexa Plus arrives with promise but plenty of questions | Verge
Amazon Leadership Principles | Amazon
How Amazon runs Alexa, with Dave Limp (2021) | Decoder
Alexa loses her voice | YouTube
Humane is shutting down the AI pin | Verge
Mike Krieger wants to build AI products that are worth the hype | Verge
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/621232
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:13:41
Elon Musk's polarizing ascent in the MAGA movement
This is Alex Heath, deputy editor of The Verge. I’m guest hosting today’s episode while Nilay is still away for a much-needed vacation. He’ll be back next week. But today, we’re diving into the bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and more specifically, how it’s impacting the changing right-wing political movement here in the United States.
There’s no better place to get that temperature check than CPAC. Musk showed up there this year for a wild interview — you may have seen clips of him waving around a literal chainsaw. Thankfully, Verge policy Gaby del Valle was on the ground this year, and as you’ll hear her say, she barely slept. But she got a front-row look at how the world of MAGA really feels about Elon, DOGE, and regulating Big Tech.
Links:
I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk’s CPAC appearance was | Verge
At CPAC, the world’s populists parrot the leader who inspired them | Politico
Government still threatening to ‘semi-fire’ workers who don’t answer Musk email | Verge
Saying ‘no’ to Musk | NYT
What that chainsaw was really about | NYT
Sequins, merch, chainsaws: Trump’s return to CPAC | NYT
Bannon calls Musk a ‘parasitic illegal immigrant’ | NYT
New York got $80 Million for migrants. The White House took it back | NYT
Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE | AP
National Park Service layoffs, hiring delays impact visitors | NPR
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.
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