Hard Fork

This week, Elon Musk brought a new chatbot into the crowded A.I. universe — Grok 3, the latest model from his company xAI. We break down how it compares with other leading models and what it reveals about Musk’s larger ambitions. Then, Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of the investing platform Robinhood, lays out his vision for the future of investing and fields some difficult questions about his company’s role in fueling a culture of risky financial speculation. Finally, Kevin revisits his high school coding era and tries to make Casey a new software tool, with an A.I. assist.

Guest:

• Vlad Tenev, chief executive of Robinhood and co-founder of Harmonic.

Additional Reading:

• There Are Probably Too Many A.I. Companies Now
• An Investing Revolution Is Coming. The U.S. Isn’t Ready for It.
• Is Math the Path to Chatbots That Don’t Make Stuff Up?

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Kevin reports back from the A.I. Action Summit in Paris, where it was full speed ahead toward artificial general intelligence, with a conspicuous lack of action on the safety front. Also, Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re taking a look at A.I. on dating apps. First, our producer Rachel Cohn explains what happened when she applied all of the advice from Hinge’s new Prompt Feedback tool to her dating profile. Then, we’re joined by Hinge’s founder and C.E.O., Justin McLeod, to discuss how he thinks A.I. can help users find love.

Guests:

Rachel Cohn, Hard Fork producer, writer of the newsletter “Are You My Boyfriend?”

Justin McLeod, founder and C.E.O. of Hinge

Additional Reading:

• Macron Pitches Lighter Regulation to Fuel A.I. Boom in Europe
• Vance, in First Foreign Speech, Tells Europe That U.S. Will Dominate A.I.
• When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore stories from the wild frontier of tech.

What’s real? What’s hype? “Hard Fork” is here to help you make sense of it. Tune in every Friday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.