Podcast appearances and mentions of Joanna Stern

I Am Not a Robot author Joanna Stern spent a year letting AI run her life. She reveals what it's actually good for — and its hidden costs.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1352What We Discuss with Joanna Stern:How a chatbot that never tells you your ideas are dumb becomes less of a companion and more of an emotional slot machine — and why the always-available AI therapist that remembers your every 4 a.m. anxiety is both a genuine comfort and a quiet, compounding cost to real human connection.Why you can spot exactly where AI falls short the moment it wanders into your own field of expertise — and how that very gap, between confident output and actual competence, is the most important lens for judging whether these tools are ready to replace the humans who do the work.What it really costs to hand AI your medical results and financial data for a quick second opinion — and why stripping out your name, birthday, and identifiers matters when the convenience of instant answers quietly trades away privacy you can never claw back.How genuinely impressive humanoid robots and robotaxis are as feats of engineering — and why the viral demos of drink-pouring androids are often a human in a VR headset puppeteering from offstage, revealing the gap between dazzling spectacle and true autonomy.How you can learn these tools well enough to know what they're genuinely good at while fiercely protecting your own lived experience — because the messy conversations, shower-thought sparks, and uncomfortable human friction are exactly the training data no machine can hand you.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: Ground News: 40% off unlimited access Vantage subscription: groundnews.com/jordanBoll & Branch: 15% off first set of sheets: bollandbranch.com, code JORDANJack Archer: 15% off first order: jackarcher.com, code GETJACKSimpliSafe Home Security: 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey everyone, Nilay here. You might remember I took a break from Decoder last year — we had a baby, so I took some leave. In my place, we had an excellent slate of guest hosts, and we've been working hard to bring you those episodes in full video since we launched our official Decoder YouTube channel. So today, we're featuring a really great interview conducted by my very good friend Joanna Stern, now the founder and CEO of New Things, and Ford CEO Jim Farley. Joanna pulled some exclusive news out of Jim at the time, including some telling quotes on Trump's tariff policy, on Ford competing with Chinese EVs, and the company's stance on Apple CarPlay.  Read the full interview transcript on The Verge. Links:  Ford CEO Jim Farley on China, tariffs, and the quest for a $30,000 EV | Decoder Joanna Stern is not a robot, but she lived with them | Decoder Ford's Jim Farley: 'I totally would've done it differently.' | The Verge Ford pulls the plug on the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck | NPR Inside the lab where Ford is trying to crack the code on cheap EVs | The Verge Ford is fighting against physics to build affordable EVs | The Verge Ford reveals breakthrough process for lower priced EVs | The Verge Ford CEO Jim Farley on building the electric F-150 | Decoder (2021) Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Kabir Chopra.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#871: Former WSJ tech columnist Joanna Stern spent a year using AI for almost everything. She had her mammogram read by an algorithm, wore a bracelet that recorded every conversation, rode in a Waymo, and let ChatGPT help her decide whether to leave the Wall Street Journal. This year-long experiment is captured in her new book, “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything,” which reflects on what AI actually does well, what it absolutely does not, and why humanoid robots are so dang funny. To learn more visit https://www.servicenow.com Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠  Watch Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow⁠ This experience may not be representative of other Wealthfront clients, and there is no guarantee of future performance or success. Experiences will vary. Neal Fryman and Toby Howell, are clients of Wealthfront, receive cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage for paid testimonials in this podcast, creating a conflict of interest. More details available via the referral link.  https://wealthfron.com/morningbrew New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of January 30, 2026, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. References to the APY for the Wealthfront Cash Account, including any APY increase, are to the APY paid by insured depository institutions that participate in our cash sweep program (the "Program Banks”). Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you let AI run your life—your work, your parenting, even your health? NBC News chief tech analyst Joanna Stern did exactly that for a year, and she's here with big ideas from I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything about how to use these tools without letting them use you. Then we widen the lens: Steven Kotler and Peter H. Diamandis argue that we're entering an age of godlike technological power—and that the real challenge is keeping wisdom, discernment, and cooperation in the driver's seat—in We Are as Gods: A Survival Guide for the Age of Abundance.

Recorded in front of a live audience at The California Theatre in San Jose on Tuesday 9 June 2026, special guests Joanna Stern and Nilay Patel join John Gruber to discuss Apple's announcements at WWDC 2026.

Joanna Stern spent a year using AI to do (almost) everything: write her emails, analyze  her medical records, text her wife, drive her around, and even fold her laundry. The result is her new book, I Am Not a Robot, which documents what she learned testing AI as a journalist, a parent, and a newly independent founder. Joanna spent over a decade as a tech reporter at The Wall Street Journal before leaving to launch her own media outlet, New Things. She brought the same approach that's defined her career — hands-on, consumer-first testing of the technology itself — to her year-long experiment in living with AI.What she found was more nuanced than the hype: some of it works, some of it really doesn't, and some of it needs guardrails. In this episode, Jessi and Joanna discuss: Why the same AI technology that's transforming cancer detection is also upselling you at the dentist The data privacy moves everyone should make right now, including the settings most people never touch What happened when Joanna tried to let AI handle all her communications Why robots are bad at folding clothes How AI gave Joanna the confidence to leave a staff job and start a business The emotional difference between work you make yourself and work a machine makes for you What it means to raise kids in a world where the struggle of figuring things yourself might disappear entirely Follow Jessi Hempel and Joanna Stern on LinkedIn.

AI is getting better at sounding human. Better at conversation. Better at reassurance. Better at knowing exactly what we want to hear. So what happens when our kids start building relationships with machines designed to remove friction? In this conversation, Dr. Becky talks with former Wall Street Journal tech columnist Joanna Stern about AI toys, chatbot companions, creativity, learning, and the surprising role frustration plays in healthy human development. Together, they explore why “helpful” technology can potentially short-circuit the skills kids most need to build: patience, resilience, independent thinking, and real connection. Joanna also shares what happened when she spent time building a relationship with an AI chatbot herself... and why it left her more concerned about kids and companion bots than ever before. * From the newborn days to the teen years, Good Inside now supports parents through every stage of childhood — with practical guidance for the moments that matter most. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Play-Doh: Shop Play-Doh at Walmart for a summer of imaginative play Coterie: Get 20% off with the code GOODINSIDEBABY20 LMNT: Get a free 8-count sample pack with your purchase at LMNT.com/goodinside Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At a moment when there's a growing backlash and resistance against the AI that's starting to permeate so many parts of our life — tech journalist Joanna Stern went all in. She decided to see what would happen if she spent a year using AI in almost every part of her life. She used it to communicate, to help her plan her dinners, to track all her conversations. And she even created an AI boyfriend named Evan. The results of the experiment are in her new book, I Am Not A Robot: My Year Using AI to do (Almost) Everything.

What happens when you let technology take over your life? Joanna Stern (Fmr. Wall Street Journal / New Things) found out. She spent all of 2025 letting the robots in: Waymos, AI therapists, robot massagers, assistant researcher agents…During that yearlong experiment, Joanna Stern chronicled her findings in a new book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything. She speaks to Oz about letting AI diagnose her son’s praying mantis, sending Bill Gates her health log, and how she sees AI impacting the job market. Additional Reading: I Am Not A Robot | Joanna Stern EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nation’s Jeet Heer stops by to talk about Trump’s Vietnam problem in the Middle East.NBC News’ Joanna Stern joins us to discuss her new book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do Everything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off 12 award-winning years as the Wall Street Journal's tech guru, Joanna Stern discusses her bestselling book I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything.

Joanna Stern stopped by to chat with Marques about everything from John Ternus becoming the new Apple CEO to whether or not humanoid robots are the correct form factor for the future of helpful AI robots. They also talk about her new book (out now!) where she let AI run her life for a full year. Then they talk YouTube and going independent in media before wrapping it up with A Race to Z typing test. It's a very interesting conversation and we hope you enjoy! Links: Joanna Stern - I Am Not a Robot New Things with Joanna Stern Follow us on socials: Marques: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@mkbhd⁠⁠⁠ Joanna Stern: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.com/@joannastern⁠⁠⁠ Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@andrew_manganelli⁠⁠⁠ David: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@davidimel⁠⁠⁠ Adam: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@parmesanpapi17⁠⁠⁠ Ellis: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/EllisRovin⁠⁠⁠ Waveform Threads: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@waveformpodcast⁠⁠⁠ Waveform Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/waveformpodcast/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠ Waveform TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@waveformpodcast⁠⁠⁠ Join the Discord: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/mkbhd⁠⁠⁠ Intro/Outro music by 20syl: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2S53xlC⁠⁠⁠ Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Award winning Tech Writer Joanna Stern did just that and wrote a book about it! Her story and the pitfalls of AI, all on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. Photo Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Award winning Tech Writer Joanna Stern did just that and wrote a book about it! Her story and the pitfalls of AI, all on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. Photo Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Technology reporter Joanna Stern spent the last year using artificial intelligence for nearly everything: healthcare questions, travel, productivity, parenting challenges, customer service, and even an AI-generated romantic companion. In this episode, Joanna joins Mosheh on the podcast to discuss her new book, ⁠I Am Not a Robot⁠, which offers a firsthand look at how AI is reshaping daily life — whether we want it to or not.The conversation covers both the practical benefits and growing concerns around AI's rapid integration into society: self-driving cars, AI-assisted medicine, and the ways AI is helping entrepreneurs and creators work faster than ever before. But they also discuss some of the biggest questions still ahead: job losses as companies automate entry-level work, parenting in an age of AI-powered toys and companions, and the surprising emotional pull of chatbot relationships amid a growing loneliness crisis.Stern — formerly a senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal and now the ⁠founder of The New Things tech news website⁠— also breaks down the global race toward artificial general intelligence, the growing backlash against AI companies and CEOs, and why she believes the biggest challenge ahead may be preserving human connection in a world increasingly designed to remove friction from everyday life.You can learn more about Joanna's work at ⁠The New Things⁠ and find ⁠I Am Not a Robot⁠ wherever you get your books. Mosheh Oinounou (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mosheh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.

This week, we're having the AI conversation most people aren't having… one that explores the good, the bad, and everything in between. Sara and guest co-host Phil Schwarz sit down with tech journalist Joanna Stern to unpack everyone's increasingly complicated relationship with AI. They discuss the importance of lived experience, how to actually use AI in your daily life, how it is impacting parenting, and so much more.Executive Producers: Erin Foster, Sara Foster, and Allison BresnickAssociate Producers: Montana McBirney and Olivia GeffnerSocial Media Manager: Laura BinderAudio Engineer: Josh WindischProduced by Wishbone ProductionProduced by Dear MediaThis episode is sponsored by:Bon Charge (boncharge.com PROMO CODE: FOSTER)Foria (foriawellness.com/foster)Bobbi Brown (bobbibrown.com PROMO CODE: SARAFOSTER15)Hill House Home (hillhousehome.com PROMO CODE: FOSTER)Ritual (ritual.com/foster)R+Co (randco.com PROMO CODE: FOSTER20)Jenny BIrd (jenny-bird.com/TWFP)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For her new book, “I Am Not a Robot,” journalist and longtime technology columnist Joanna Stern turned her life over to AI for one whole year. She let it fold her laundry, conduct interviews, drive her family around on vacation, review her mammograms — she even tried out a romantic relationship with a bot. Her experiences tell us a lot about the benefits — and limits — of this transformative technology. Kara and Joanna talk about how Joanna went about weaving AI into her life, where it helped and where it didn't, and the gap between Silicon Valley's promises and the reality of using AI for everyday tasks. They also talk about the growing public backlash to AI and where people should draw personal lines around its use.  Special thanks to The 92nd Street Y for hosting this live event.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Technology reporter Joanna Stern spent the last year using artificial intelligence for nearly everything: healthcare questions, travel, productivity, parenting challenges, customer service, and even an AI-generated romantic companion. In this episode, Joanna joins Mosheh on the podcast to discuss her new book, ⁠I Am Not a Robot⁠, which offers a firsthand look at how AI is reshaping daily life — whether we want it to or not. The conversation covers both the practical benefits and growing concerns around AI's rapid integration into society: self-driving cars, AI-assisted medicine, and the ways AI is helping entrepreneurs and creators work faster than ever before. But they also discuss some of the biggest questions still ahead: job losses as companies automate entry-level work, parenting in an age of AI-powered toys and companions, and the surprising emotional pull of chatbot relationships amid a growing loneliness crisis. Stern — formerly a senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal and now the ⁠founder of The New Things tech news website⁠— also breaks down the global race toward artificial general intelligence, the growing backlash against AI companies and CEOs, and why she believes the biggest challenge ahead may be preserving human connection in a world increasingly designed to remove friction from everyday life. You can learn more about Joanna's work at ⁠The New Things⁠ and find ⁠I Am Not a Robot⁠ wherever you get your books. Mosheh Oinounou (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mosheh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.

In order to write her new book “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI To Do ‘Almost' Everything," journalist Joanna Stern decided to invite artificial intelligence into every aspect of her life — including her family life. She has a wife and two sons. On their spring break, she took them to Phoenix, where it's easy to hail a driverless car. They rode in a bunch of them, including one that totally freaked out.She brought home an AI-powered toy (which her four-year-old quickly tired of), and says she realized her kids will "grow up never knowing a world without computers as smart as them.” Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Stern about how she hopes her children will navigate that world.

In order to write her new book “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI To Do ‘Almost' Everything," journalist Joanna Stern decided to invite artificial intelligence into every aspect of her life — including her family life. She has a wife and two sons. On their spring break, she took them to Phoenix, where it's easy to hail a driverless car. They rode in a bunch of them, including one that totally freaked out.She brought home an AI-powered toy (which her four-year-old quickly tired of), and says she realized her kids will "grow up never knowing a world without computers as smart as them.” Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Stern about how she hopes her children will navigate that world.

Joanna Stern is the author of "I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do Almost Everything" and the founder of The New Thing. Stern joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss what happens when you infuse AI into every part of your life. Tune in to hear about her 48-hour road trip with an AI boyfriend, why she found chatbot relationships genuinely tempting, and what the sycophancy of these tools means for how we relate to each other. We also cover the promise and limits of AI wearables, how AI is quietly reshaping healthcare diagnostics from mammograms to dental X-rays, and whether Apple can finally deliver on Siri. Hit play for a fascinating look at the human side of living with AI, and why the biggest risks might not be technical. Join us for the Big Technology AI Summit: https://summit.bigtechnology.com/ --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here's 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has landed in Beijing for a highly anticipated two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. CNBC's Eamon Javers reports on the stakes for trade, diplomacy, and U.S.-China relations. Bob Hormats, former Goldman Sachs International vice chairman and former Under Secretary of State, shares his perspective on the meeting and the state of the relationship between the two global powers. Plus, Tech Journalist Joanna Stern discusses her new book, “I Am Not a Robot,” and what she learned after letting AI control her life for a year.   Eamon Javers 3:53 Robert Hormats 16:03 Joanna Stern 28:25   In this episode: Joanna Stern, @joannastern Eamon Javers, @eamonjavers Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joanna Stern was the Wall Street Journal technology journalist for 12 years. She's an Emmy award winner for her documentary E-Ternal, and recently started her own company New Things, with added advice from ChatGPT! Over the years at WSJ, I relied on Joanna's reviews of technology for many purchases (and things I avoided) reflecting her keen and brutal assessments. I also had fun working with her on some of her video assessments of health technologies. Her book I AM NOT A ROBOT is both hilarious and highly informative. It is a terrific primer for those who are not fully grounded in AI getting into the history of AI and right up to date with generative AI's progress.To get a sense for why AI thought she was the next Tina Fey, check out the back cover! No surprise she got me laughing hard throughout the conversation, no less while reading the book.Here is a short YouTube video she posted on her All In AI year of 2025, referred to during the podcast. Much of her testing of >100 AI products related to medicine and health care, which is what we especially got into during our conversation. She has 3 major rules in her assessment of AI: (1) Ruthless testing; (2) Benchmark vs human; and (3) Costs, which include “compute cost” that we discussed. Here are some of the things we covered:* AI of her blood work* AI of mammogram and breast ultrasound, and overall experience as a person with increased risk of breast cancer* AI at the dentist (and ”Dentist Deep Clean”)* Assessment of Dr. GPT* Bill Gates on health AI* Her AI Trainer (Chris)* Waymo vs Uber* Her AI Therapist (Ash)* Nothing Bot Sex (her 2 digital lovers)* Impact on her children (including 6 F*****g Hamsters, the robodog Sirius)A big thanks to Ground Truths subscribers from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. If you're not a subscriber, please join!If you found this interesting PLEASE share it!Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don't hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered.Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support a record number of 51 summer interns coming in 2026! These are high school, college and medical students selected from thousands of applicants. We couldn't do this expanded program without the funds coming in through Ground Truths.Thank you Tara Parker-Pope, MPH, Tracy Paeschke, MD, FACC, Chip Hughes, Bob Fleischman, Gretchen Faucett, and >400 others for tuning into my live video with Joanna Stern! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

Tech writer Joanna Stern used AI to read medical results, respond to texts and serve as her therapist. She says her emotional connection to it was unsettling. Her new book is ‘I Am Not a Robot.' She spoke with Terry Gross.Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new PBS special marking David Attenborough's 100th birthday. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Imagine if you invited robots - smart ones or “smart-ish,” at least - into every aspect of your life. Your emails and texts are all composed by an AI, the bots look at a photo of what's in your fridge and figure out what you can make for dinner. They even become emotional support, providing advice and sometimes companionship. Journalist and founder of media company New Things, Joanna Stern, decided to try this and she wrote about it in her new book “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI To Do Almost Everything.” Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Stern about how AI did and didn't help her and ultimately what she sacrificed by inviting AI into her life.

Imagine if you invited robots - smart ones or “smart-ish,” at least - into every aspect of your life. Your emails and texts are all composed by an AI, the bots look at a photo of what's in your fridge and figure out what you can make for dinner. They even become emotional support, providing advice and sometimes companionship. Journalist and founder of media company New Things, Joanna Stern, decided to try this and she wrote about it in her new book “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI To Do Almost Everything.” Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Stern about how AI did and didn't help her and ultimately what she sacrificed by inviting AI into her life.

Tech writer Joanna Stern used AI to read medical results, respond to texts and serve as her therapist. She says her emotional connection to it was unsettling. Her new book is ‘I Am Not a Robot.' She spoke with Terry Gross.Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new PBS special marking David Attenborough's 100th birthday. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Personal tech journalist Joanna Stern let AI be her doctor, driver, colleague, housekeeper, therapist and lover as research for her new book "I Am Not a Robot." In this live taping of The Journal, Stern discusses how artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how we think and work. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening:  Move Over, Humans. China's Robots Are Taking Over Inside Meta's Big AI Pivot Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is longtime friend of the show Joanna Stern. You all know Joanna: she is the former senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, a former Decoder guest host, one of my co-founders at The Verge, and also just one of my very closest friends. Joanna just left that lofty perch at the Journal to start her own media company called New Things, and she's starting with her new book about AI called I Am Not a Robot, which is out this week on May 12th. So we had Joanna on to talk about all of that, especially what she learned going all in on automation.  Links:  I Am Not a Robot | Harper Collins It's time. Meet my New Thing | Joanna Stern Why I left My prestigious job to make YouTube videos | Joanna Stern / YouTube Signing off from this column after 12 years. Here's what's changed in tech | WSJ I tried the robot that's coming to live with you. It's still par human | WSJ The people do not yearn for automation | Decoder Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we're taking another look at prediction markets and a new series of scandals. Is Congress finally ready to rein them in? Then, the journalist Joanna Stern returns to the show to discuss her new book “I Am Not A Robot,” all about turning her life over to a chatbot for a year. And finally, Hard Fork's Rachel Cohn reports back on her month attending classes at the Strother School of Radical Attention, the center of a movement to resist the commodification of attention by technology companies.   Guests:  Joanna Stern, chief everything officer at New Things Rachel Cohn, producer of “Hard Fork”   Additional Reading: Soldier Used Classified Information to Bet on Maduro's Ouster, U.S. Says Soldier Pleads Not Guilty in $400,000 Betting Case Over Maduro's Ouster French weather service alerts police to tampering after suspicious Polymarket bets The Multi-Trillion-Dollar Battle for Your Attention Is Built on a Lie   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“If criticism isn't going to be written by one human mind, what else is it for? Criticism done by AI means nothing.” — Bethanne Patrick Is London really falling? Perhaps. This week on Keen On America, everything seems to be falling. There are young men falling from riverside apartments. Girlhood is falling to the commodification of appearance. Book reviewing is falling to AI. Mary Todd Lincoln fell through history as a shrill and inconvenient widow. And just three days ago, Yale historian Ian Shapiro argued that democracy itself has fallen — from the euphoric heights of 1989 to today's nadir of illiberal populism. One person who never falls is our unfailingly literate friend Bethanne Patrick — book critic at the Los Angeles Times, founder of #FridayReads, and the best-read lady in America. And her May list of recommended reads is full of books about falling. Take, for example, the New York Times bestselling London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe — a true crime whodunnit about Zac Brettler, a nineteen-year-old who reinvented himself as the son of a Kazakh oligarch and fell to his death from a Thames-side luxury apartment. Then there's Girls by Freya India on Gen Z and the commodification of girlhood; Make Believe by Mac Barnett, the Children's Laureate, on storytelling as an art of raising kids; I Am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern on AI as useful tool, not a civilizational menace; and An Inconvenient Widow by Lois Romano which rehabilitates the already fallen Mary Todd Lincoln. And then there's the fall of book reviewing itself. Where have all the critics gone? New York Times book critic Dwight Garner wrote its obituary this week. But Bethanne Patrick hasn't fallen. And, last I checked, London is still standing. Five Takeaways •       London Falling: The Oligarchs Were the Problem: Patrick Radden Keefe's new New York Times bestseller is about Zac Brettler, a nineteen-year-old London boy who reinvented himself as the son of a Kazakh oligarch and fell to his death from a Thames-side luxury apartment. Bethanne's reading: the most interesting element is not the Brettler family's grief — sympathetic as they are — but the portrait of a London transformed by money from overseas. Twenty years ago, the worry was economic immigrants. The people who really changed London were the oligarchs. Andrew is sceptical of the neoliberalism-as-villain thesis. Janan Ganesh: London has always been defined by capitalism. •       Girls: The Commodification of Girlhood:  by Freya India (born 1999) argues that Gen Z girls have always been girls — but technology has made the existing anxieties about appearance, body, and social status thousands of times worse. Face-tuning, influencers, targeted advertising, social media bullying. Bethanne's daughter — summa cum laude in economics — relaxes by watching reality shows about the commodification of female appearance. The book's parallel with London Falling: both are about young people who cannot escape the mirror of other people's wealth and image. •       Make Believe: Art for Children, Not Just Books: Mac Barnett, current Children's Laureate of the Library of Congress, argues in Make Believe that children don't just need books — they need art. Great literature, beauty, truth. The book echoes Robert Coles' The Call of Stories and pushes back against the passive consumption of screens. Bethanne's connection to London Falling: Zac Brettler was a brilliant storyteller. He might have been a writer or filmmaker. But stories have to move you toward caring about other people. They're not just about taking in — they're about give and take. •       I Am Not a Robot: AI as Tool, Not Menace: Joanna Stern, the Wall Street Journal's consumer tech columnist, spent a year using AI for almost everything. The book is a stunt memoir in the tradition of “my year of doing this” — but also genuinely useful. Her verdict: AI is a tool. It's not good or bad. She wrote every sentence herself but used AI for spell-checking, research, and editing. Meanwhile: the Authors Guild raised close to $900,000 at their annual gala, with David Baldacci giving an impassioned speech about AI and intellectual property. The Chicago Tribune published AI-generated summer reading recommendations that included a Louise Erdrich novel she never wrote. •       Where Have All the Book Reviewers Gone? A Dwight Garner piece in the New York Times cites a 1981 Donald Barthelme story predicting machines doing reviews. Now it's happening: the New York Times recently discovered a freelance reviewer had been using AI for several reviews. Google Gemini now summarises reviews before you see them. Bethanne Patrick, book critic at the Los Angeles Times, is one of a tiny handful of full-time book critics left. Her verdict: criticism done by a non-human entity misses the point. The point of criticism is judgment. Judgment requires a human mind. About the Guest Bethanne Patrick is a book critic at the Los Angeles Times, founder of #FridayReads, host of the Missing Pages podcast, and the author of Life B: Overcoming Double Depression (Counterpoint, 2023). She is also known as @TheBookMaven on social media. Books Discussed: •       London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe (Doubleday, April 7, 2026). •       Girls by Freya India (2026). •       Make Believe by Mac Barnett (2026). •       I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do Almost Everything by Joanna Stern (2026). •       An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln by Lois Romano (Simon & Schuster, 2026). About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-Ame...

O Tim Cook segue dando o que falar, a Joanna Stern mudou de emprego, e ninguém consegue vender Macs (exceto a Apple).

Joanna Stern is the ex-WSJ senior personal technology columnist and author of I Am Not a Robot. News of Tim Cook stepping down as CEO of Apple broke as Stern and I were recording a forthcoming episode of Big Technology Podcast. In this episode, we discuss Cook's exit, his successor, John Ternus, and his legacy. Tune in for a quick but substantial look at what's next for Apple after Cook's exit. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here's 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, a Wisconsin city votes to restrict future data center development. Plus, the astronauts on Artemis II take their journey to social media. But first, Anthropic announced this week it has a new AI model called Claude Mythos Preview.The company says it's extremely good at finding security vulnerabilities. So good that Anthropic is not releasing the model to the general public. Instead, it is granting access to a group of over 40 companies and tech organizations, a collaboration called Project Glasswing.Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Joanna Stern, founder of the media company New Things, to discuss all these topics and more.

This week, a Wisconsin city votes to restrict future data center development. Plus, the astronauts on Artemis II take their journey to social media. But first, Anthropic announced this week it has a new AI model called Claude Mythos Preview.The company says it's extremely good at finding security vulnerabilities. So good that Anthropic is not releasing the model to the general public. Instead, it is granting access to a group of over 40 companies and tech organizations, a collaboration called Project Glasswing.Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes spoke with Joanna Stern, founder of the media company New Things, to discuss all these topics and more.

Tech journalist Joanna Stern joins Mixed Signals to discuss leaving The Wall Street Journal after more than a decade to launch her own venture, “New Things,” and what it really takes to bet on yourself in today's media landscape. Max and Ben ask how she's using AI as a “co-founder,” and what she learned from immersing herself in artificial intelligence for her new book, I Am Not a Robot. Sign up for Semafor Media's Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media  For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltaniIf you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com

Vibe coding, the process of turning a text prompt into actual software, has taken the AI world by storm. And it has investors in everything from software to legal services nervous. WSJ's Joanna Stern and Ben Cohen tell us about their experience using Claude Code to develop an article. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: The Era of AI Layoffs Has Begun Her Client Was Deepfaked. She Says xAI Is to Blame. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From an unenforced TikTok ban and a chatbot calling itself MechaHitler to mounting fears that we're in an AI bubble, 2025 was another messy year for the tech industry. We watched billionaire CEOs fully align themselves with President Trump, Nvidia become the first $5 trillion company, and Elon Musk's popularity tank, thanks to his DOGE antics (and yet he could still become the world's first trillionaire).  Kara breaks down the biggest tech stories of 2025 with four journalists: Bill Cohan, a longtime financial journalist, author, and Puck co-founder who covers Wall Street; Casey Newton, founder and editor of the tech newsletter Platformer and host of The New York Times podcast “Hard Fork”; Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal and author of a forthcoming book about how she surrendered her life to A.I. for a year; and Charlie Warzel, staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the tech and culture podcast “Galaxy Brain.”  (Please note, this conversation was recorded before news broke that TikTok had signed a deal to spin off its U.S. business to a group of American investors, the Justice Department released a trove of documents tied to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, and Waymo halted service in San Francisco because of power outages in the area.)  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stocks rose in early trading with AI-exposed names like Nvidia and Oracle getting a lift. Meera Pandit from J.P. Morgan Asset Management joins with her market take following new consumer sentiment and housing data. Apollo's Torsten Slok talks about new headlines around the search for the next Fed chair, and new doubts around this week's surprise inflation data. Plus, why one analyst says to buy the Nike dip, and The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern talks about an AI experiment in her newsroom that devolved into chaos.Squawk on the Street Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A year ago, David and Nilay sat down with Wall Street Journal senior tech columnist Joanna Stern to make a bunch of confident predictions about 2025. We got them... you know what, never mind. Let's look ahead to 2026! This year, we gather again to make increasingly bold bets about the year to come, including the future of a few of the world's biggest companies and whether we're finally going to get a foldable iPhone. Last year's predictions may not have been our best, but we're feeling good about these. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's been something of a critical mass of high-profile departures and retirement announcements at Apple in recent weeks. Plus, how will consumers be helped or hurt by a potential merger between Netflix and Warner Bros or a hostile takeover from Paramount? And McDonald's pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad because some folks on social media weren't “lovin' it.” Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal for this week's “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

There's been something of a critical mass of high-profile departures and retirement announcements at Apple in recent weeks. Plus, how will consumers be helped or hurt by a potential merger between Netflix and Warner Bros or a hostile takeover from Paramount? And McDonald's pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad because some folks on social media weren't “lovin' it.” Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal for this week's “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Well, friends, it's been a year. And before we turn the page to 2026 and all the stories of 2025 begin to blur together, we decided to take stock of things. Nilay and David are joined by Wall Street Journal senior tech columnist Joanna Stern to debate the best products of the year, the biggest policy moves, the people who broke bad, the good AI things, the bad AI things, and much more. It's been a vibe-everything kind of year, and there's a lot to discuss. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would you ditch your smartphone for a more minimalist one? That's the radical idea behind Light, a company founded on the belief that our constant fight for attention has turned smartphones into an addiction. At WSJ Tech Live, senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern sat down with Light CEO Kaiwei Tang, along with vocal product fan, actor and producer Aaron Paul. Plus, as you prepare for holiday travel, we'll look at the flight tracking app that notifies fliers about delays and cancellations well before the airlines do. Our Science of Success columnist Ben Cohen tells us how Flighty works. Julie Chang hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The console wars are back on. This week, Nilay Patel sits down with Jake Kastrenakes, Sean Hollister, and special guest Joanna Stern, senior columnist at The Wall Street Journal, to talk about Valve's return to the living room gaming race with the Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame VR headset. Then, Joanna discusses her time putting the Neo robot to the test and seeing whether it's capable of loading a dishwasher. Finally, it's time for the Lightning Round, where the crew is talking the YouTube/Disney spat, Apple's new mini apps, and letting Waymo speed down the highway. Further reading: Our first look at the Steam Machine, Valve's ambitious new game console  Valve enters the console wars  Valve just built the Xbox that Microsoft is dreaming of  Valve's new Steam Controller might be my dream controllerThe Steam Frame is a surprising new twist on VR  Steam Machines have returned: all the news about Valve's new hardware universe  The Steam Frame has two speakers on each side of your face for vibration cancellation  Valve's new VR streaming trick won't just work with its own headset  How the Steam Frame compares to other VR headsets  Valve thinks Arm has ‘potential' for SteamOS handhelds, laptops, and more  Valve is welcoming Android games into Steam  Valve has stopped manufacturing its Index VR headset Valve has no news about Steam Deck 2 — because it's still waiting for the right chip  We tried Valve's new VR headset, PC, and controller — ask us anything!  I Tried the First Humanoid Home Robot. It Got Weird Know Your Meme  1X Neo is a $20,000 home robot that will learn chores via teleoperation  Meet NEO, the AI-Driven Robot That's Coming to Lend a Hand Around the House — for a Steep Price The Problem with this Humanoid Robot Samsung brings a generative AI-powered Bixby to its TVs  Gemini for TV is coming to Google TV Streamer starting today  Google says its confusing Gemini Home rollout is going just great  Google Photos lets iPhone users edit images by describing changes  Disney is losing over $4 million a day in revenue on the YouTube TV blackout Disney is “trying really hard” to get ESPN back on YouTube TV Peyton and Eli Manning Drop the Ball, Embarrass Themselves With Bob Iger Interview Apple made a $230 crossbody… sock  Steve Jobs introduces iPod socks in 2004 Mini apps Apple will take a mini commission from mini app developers ⁠Amazon is cracking down on illegal streaming on its Fire TV Stick ⁠ Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1X's Neo humanoid robot is rolling out to households soon, but it's not totally autonomous yet. WSJ senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern tells us what it was like to give the robot a spin. Plus, WSJ personal technology columnist Nicole Nguyen breaks down another piece of technology AI is changing: the web browser. Belle Lin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AppleTV+ ditches the plus in its name. Plus, Walmart announced an e-commerce deal with OpenAI so customers can shop through ChatGPT.But first, Instagram announced what it called PG-13 settings for teen accounts. Marketplace's Nova Safo spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at the Wall Street Journal, to discuss all these topics and more.

Back when text messages cost 10 cents each, BlackBerry came up with a better way: BlackBerry Messenger, commonly known as BBM. It was the first new idea about messaging in a long time, and it was a huge hit… for a while. Nilay Patel and Joanna Stern join David Pierce to talk about a messaging service that was years ahead of WhatsApp and iMessage, but ultimately fizzled. If you like the show, ⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. Let us know what you think: 866-VERGE-11 or vergecast@theverge.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm Joanna Stern, the senior personal tech columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and this is my final Decoder episode filling in for Nilay while he's out on parental leave. My guest today: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. This is RJ's third time on the show, and it felt like the perfect follow-up to my conversation last week with Ford CEO Jim Farley. I loved the idea of going straight from Ford to Rivian. And if you listened to the Farley episode, this one flows nicely. RJ and I cover a lot of the same challenges: tariffs, China, EV pricing. Of course, I also asked about CarPlay.  Links:  A pretty fascinating look under the hood of the Rivan R2 | The Verge Rivian CEO says CarPlay isn't going to happen | The Verge Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says too many carmakers are copying Tesla | Decoder Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe isn't scared of the Cybertruck | Decoder Rivian breaks ground on $5 billion Georgia plant | AP Rivian narrows 2025 delivery guidance Q3 as production slips | WSJ Rivian R2 remains on track for $45,000 and 2026 production | Car and Driver 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

This is Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal. I'm the last Monday guest host filling in for Nilay here on Decoder while he's out on parental leave with his adorable new son, and I'm very excited to be talking today to Ford CEO Jim Farley. I'm a longtime Decoder listener and my favorite episodes are car episodes. I think car CEOs are currently facing some of the most fascinating and complex challenges in both tech and business. So when I was asked to guest host the show I said, “That's it, car CEOs.” And Farley was at the top of the list. This was a great conversation that covered a lot of ground. I think you're going to like it.  Links: I've been driving an EV for a year. I have only one regret. | WSJ Ford reveals breakthrough process for lower priced EVs | The Verge Ford is betting the future on smaller EV batteries | The Verge Ford is doubling down on EVs — the timing is awful | The Verge Ford's CEO on the essential economy and its untapped potential | Aspen Institute Ford rejigs EV plans after suffering billions in losses | NYT Why Americans can't buy the world's best electric car | NYT Ford CEO Jim Farley on building the electric F-150 | Decoder 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