Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on this week's episode of Tech News Weekly! Common Sense Media labels ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk." AI agents from companies such as Meta and OpenAI are "cute washing" to make them feel friendlier. A federal judge ruled a Flock license plate search unconstitutional. And organs-on-chips, simulations, and AI models are starting to replace animal testing.

• Amanda talks about Common Sense Media's labeling of ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk", as its friend-like design, engagement incentives, and rarely appearing "take a break" prompts can keep teens talking to a chatbot instead of a trusted adult.
• Mikah shares an article from Fast Company's Grace Snelling, who coined the term "cute washing" for how SpaceX AI's Grokbot, Meta's Muse, and OpenAI's Dot all use big eyes and soft shapes to make autonomous AI agents feel friendly.
• Jason Koebler of 404 Media joins the show to discuss the first federal ruling to call an automated license plate reader search unconstitutional, and explains how Flock's network of more than 100,000 cameras feeds federal programs like HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area).
• And Mikah explains how organs-on-chips, computer simulations, and AI models are beginning to replace animal testing as regulators like the FDA shift their rules, as noted by IEEE Spectrum's Brandon Kim.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guest: Jason Koebler

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What's actually inside an AI model? Mikah Sargent opens up the file from last week's episode and finds tokens, billions of numbers, and one surprisingly simple job: guess the next piece of text. Along the way, he shows why the same question can get a different answer every time, where all those numbers came from, and why a chatbot can sound completely sure of itself and still be wrong.

Host: Mikah Sargent

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On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Clyde, who is shopping for a new phone after his last one died in a sink full of dishwater, asks what an IP68 water resistance rating actually promises, whether it wears off as a phone ages, and what to do in the first few minutes after a phone gets wet.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

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