Terms of Service with Clare Duffy

After 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, VC-backed genetic testing company Nucleus Genomics put up its hand to acquire the platform. Nucleus uses whole-genome testing to give users a fuller picture of their DNA. The company also recently released a new feature that raised eyebrows among some ethicists. Kian Sadeghi, Nucleus’ founder and CEO, lays out his vision for a future where genetic testing tells you a whole lot more than who your ancestors are.

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Conspiracy theories are not new. They’re as old as time itself. But if you feel like they’re everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do you do when somebody you love has fallen down a rabbit hole? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan has been covering the world of misinformation for more than a decade, but now he's less interested in what people believe than why they believe it. So, he’s trying to find out. 

Listen to Persuadable here.

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With tariffs kicking in and stock prices taking wild swings, uncertainty has racked the US economy in recent weeks. What’s the best way to navigate your personal finances in a moment like this? Jeanne Sahadi, a senior writer for CNN Business, has some tips for weathering the storm.

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If you’ve been to the airport recently, you might have noticed something different while going through security: a TSA agent taking your photo. Face scans can speed up the security process, but according to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, this technology comes with big picture risks. She explains what’s going on with these face scans — and how to opt out.

Read more about Dr. Joy’s nonprofit, the Algorithmic Justice League, here.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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Conspiracy theories can take many forms, from misgivings about the first moon landing to false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. As anyone who’s tried to reason with a conspiracy theorist knows, it’s hard to debunk such deeply held beliefs – and arguing with a loved one about them can be emotionally taxing. What if an AI chatbot could help? A recent study, published in Science, asked that very question — and the results were surprising. Thomas Costello, an assistant professor of psychology at American University and co-author of the study, breaks down the findings.

Try chatting with the bot yourself at debunkbot.com.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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Grief is one of the most human experiences we have—so what happens when AI gets involved? How are people using it in their healing process? Audio producer Rebecca Nolan shares her own experience creating an AI chatbot based on her deceased father, and University of Arizona psychology professor Mary-Frances O’Connor talks with Clare about whether using AI for the grieving process has therapeutic benefits.

Mary-Frances’s latest book is called The Healing Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing.

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In the past decade, technology has transformed the way we use doorbells. Home security cameras that capture footage of people around your home give some people peace of mind in the face of potential break-ins or theft. Clare talks with Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation working on issues of surveillance and policing, about where that footage is going and what it’s being used for.

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The popularity of for-profit genetic testing services like Ancestry and 23andMe has skyrocketed in recent years. These tests can teach users more about their ancestry or health. But they can also have some unexpected outcomes. 23andMe recently filed for bankruptcy to pursue a sale, raising questions about what could happen to users’ data under a new owner. University of Iowa law professor Anya Prince digs into the privacy considerations around sharing your DNA. Plus, Alexis Hourselt of the DNA Surprises podcast shares her own journey with genetic testing.

If you’re navigating an unexpected discovery about your family because of a genetic testing service, 23andMe has a support page here.

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Becoming a parent is overwhelming. So is all the technology out there that’s marketed toward new parents, from smart bassinets to high-tech baby monitors and breastfeeding tracker apps. What gadgets do new parents actually need, and do you need them at all? Sophie Brickman explored this in her book Baby, Unplugged, and she shares some insights for fellow parents in the digital age.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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It’s no surprise that music can affect our emotions. But can music actually improve our mental health? Aaron Labbé, founder and chief technology officer at the Toronto-based company LUCID, believes it can. With the help of AI-curated music playlists, and technology that reads your facial expressions as you listen, LUCID is trying to turn music into medicine.

LUCID has an app called Resonance Rx that can be prescribed to patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia, as well as a public-facing platform where you can try this technology yourself at vibemusic.ai.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected]

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If you apply for a job online, there’s a good chance that your application will be put through some kind of AI evaluation. But what is the AI algorithm looking for, and how effective is AI at helping the most qualified candidates get the job? Hilke Schellmann, an investigative reporter and assistant professor at New York University, gives us the lowdown on how AI is changing hiring and what you should know about AI in the workplace once you get the job.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected]

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Every time users talk to AI chatbots, their queries go to data centers, where stacks of computers do rapid, complex calculations in order to respond. This process requires significant amounts of electricity and water, and experts worry about the environmental cost of this rapidly growing technology. But what is that cost, exactly? And is there anything we can do as individuals to reduce the impact of our AI use? Sasha Luccioni, the Climate and AI Lead at Hugging Face, has some answers.

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Many of us have seen this happen. Someone dies IRL, but their online presence lives on. It’s estimated that millions of accounts on Facebook belong to people who have died. And many of us have so many online accounts, it’s hard to keep track of them ourselves – let alone leaving that work to loved ones after we’re gone. So, what “digital remains” are we leaving behind when we die? And how do we ensure our loved ones have the tools to manage it? Psychologist Elaine Kasket walks us through how to think about all the data that does not get buried with you.

Elaine is the author of All The Ghosts in the Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data.

As discussed in the episode, more guidelines on this are available on the Digital Legacy Associations’ website. And here’s how you can set up legacy contacts for your Meta, Google, and Apple accounts.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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Since the dawn of match.com in 1995, people have had a lot of questions about how online dating would change the experience of falling in love. But that was 30 years ago, and it was only the beginning of a total sea change in the way we date. Now, artificial intelligence is promising to switch things up in the dating world once more. And just like in 1995, we’re left wondering—what does all of this mean for the future of dating? Marketing professional Grace Clarke shares how she has used AI in her dating life, and AI expert Liesel Sharabi explains how this technology is changing dating apps, and the people who use them.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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It’s become the norm for teens and tweens to have smartphones — but lately, the pendulum has been swinging back. Parents and educators worry smartphones can cause distraction, loneliness and other mental health challenges among young people. So when is the right time to give your kid a smartphone, if at all? Mark SooHoo, a parent involved with the organization Wait Until 8th, shares why he and his wife are holding off until at least high school. Plus, high school senior and Luddite Club co-founder Jameson Butler explains why she ditched her smartphone altogether.



If you’ve had to navigate this conversation with your kids, I’d love to hear how it went. You can reach us by email at [email protected].

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In an age of personalized algorithms and constant notifications, it can be hard to resist the pull of our devices. Why is it so hard to stop mindlessly scrolling? Cultural anthropologist Natasha Schüll shares some of her research on why we’re so hooked to our phones – and some thoughts on how to pull away from the infinite scroll.



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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is ending its partnership with third-party fact-checkers in the US because the program caused too much censorship on the company’s platforms. The announcement raised a big question: How much were third-party fact-checkers really responsible for what content stays or goes on Meta’s platforms? Carlos Hernández-Echevarría, head of public policy at fact checking organization Maldita.es, explains how the group fact-checks posts – and what happens to that content after they do.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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Gary Schildhorn sprang into action to help when he got a call in his son’s voice saying he’d landed in jail after getting into a car accident. That is, until he got a FaceTime call from his son, who was not actually in jail. Gary was the target of an AI voice cloning scam, one that nearly cost him $9,000. As AI technology advances, these scams are becoming more common and more effective. Digital forensics expert Hany Farid explains how the technology works and how people can protect themselves.

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TikTok is facing a looming ban in the United States. The company will make a final effort to argue its case before the Supreme Court on Friday; if it loses, the law forcing TikTok to spin off from its China-based parent company or be banned in the United States is set to go into effect on January 19. Will that mean the app disappears from users’ phones overnight? Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, breaks down what the ban would look like for users, in practical terms. And influencers Eli Rallo and Joanne Molinaro, aka The Korean Vegan, share what it would mean for people who make a living from the app.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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Many people voted for President-elect Donald Trump with the hope that he’d lower the cost of groceries and other essentials. But Trump’s promised tariffs on imported goods could raise the cost of products ranging from computers to cars to refrigerators. So, is there anything you should consider buying now, before that happens? CNN Business economics writer Elisabeth Buchwald has the lowdown. Read Elisabeth’s full article here.

What questions do you have about the technology in your life? Email us at [email protected].

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