The Vergecast

Since the beginning of the AI revolution, a few companies have claimed to be building the best and most powerful AI models. All of them were American. More recently, a few Chinese companies seem to have caught up, shipping models that are much cheaper and maybe also just as good. The Verge's Hayden Field and Lauren Feiner join the show to explain how China made so much progress, the threat that progress represents to US companies and the US government, and what might happen next.

Further reading:

⁠China and the US are battling to become the world’s first AI superpower⁠

⁠Trump’s Anthropic shutdown just made the case for non-American AI⁠

⁠China delivers a one-two punch to America’s AI dominance⁠

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It's public beta season, which means David and Nilay have been upgrading some devices this week. We talk through the good and bad of our early experiences with Siri AI, and what it'll take for next-gen Siri to be a hit. After that, we discuss the real reason Apple decided to sue OpenAI over trade secrets, OpenAI's forthcoming smart speaker, the new Pixel colors, our emoji strategies, Brendan Carr, and much more.

Further reading:

Apple’s public betas for iOS 27 and more are out now

Siri AI makes the Apple Watch finally feel like a wrist computer

Siri AI is already changing how I use my iPhone

The macOS 27 public beta is worth it just for the Liquid Glass tweaks

Apple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secrets

Suno snatched millions of songs from YouTube, Genius, and Deezer

Sam Altman didn’t need another lawsuit

The 6 wildest claims in Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI

Another turn in the Apple v. OpenAI dispute.

OpenAI has a new statement about Apple’s lawsuit.

OnePlus officially gives up on the US and Europe

OnePlus is dead in the US. Did it ever have a chance?

Samsung shows off ‘brand new shape’ for Z Fold 8 in Spider-Man teaser

OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year

OpenAI finally launches hardware… for Codex

Pixel Watch 5 leak shows off four different finishes

The Pixel colors might rule this year

The PS6 sure sounds like a handheld

Brendan Carr plans to let broadcast giants dominate the airwaves

X admits its broken algorithm made the site feel like a ‘battleground’

States make last-ditch effort to stop the Paramount ‘media behemoth’

Paramount lead trial counsel on state AG suit: This merger is pro-competitive

The new cracking face emoji might be an all-timer.

Google’s Demis Hassabis says it’s time for a global AI watchdog — led by the US

Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week

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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:00 Intro

00:02:00 Apple Betas and New Siri

00:08:00 Gemini Car Assistant Fails

00:15:00 Apple Sues OpenAI

00:18:00 Trade Secret Law Explained

00:28:00 Settlement or Long Fight

00:35:00 OpenAI Home Device Doubts

00:42:00 Smartphone Platform Lessons

00:50:00 Pixel Colors and Naming

00:52:00 OnePlus Retreat Explained

00:55:00 Carriers and iPhone Lock In

01:05:00 Brendan Carr Bribery Scandal

01:14:00 Emoji Lightning Round

01:18:00 X Algorithm Rediscovery

01:23:00 Foothills Of Singularity

01:29:00 Paramount Merger Spin

01:33:00 Wrap And Plugs
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AI text detectors have been notoriously unreliable, but that's starting to change. This year, Pangram keeps coming up as the trusted source in identifying AI-written text. We sit down with Pangram CEO Max Spero to find out how the system was made, how much we should trust it, and where the line is between useful AI and AI slop.

Further reading:

OnePlus officially gives up on the US and Europe⁠

⁠Google ordered to open Android and Search to rivals in Europe⁠

⁠Brendan Carr plans to let broadcast giants dominate the airwaves⁠

⁠⁠The literary world isn’t prepared for AI⁠

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.
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Valve's Steam Machine might be exactly the living room console you've been waiting for. Or it might be too expensive, totally pointless, a waste of everyone's money and shelf space. The Verge's Sean Hollister joins the show to talk through all the feedback we've been getting about our coverage and our review. Is Valve's history a pro or a con? Is the price reasonable or ridiculous? Who is this device actually for? We have much to discuss.

Further reading:

Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week

OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year

Another turn in the Apple v. OpenAI dispute

⁠The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played⁠⁠

⁠⁠The Steam Machine fits my TV, my desk, and my life⁠⁠

⁠⁠Valve will finally let you build your own Steam Machine with SteamOS for desktop⁠⁠

⁠⁠How much would the Steam Machine cost to build?⁠

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.
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AI-generated music is suddenly everywhere. On social media, music streaming services, and elsewhere, stuff made on Suno is becoming unavoidable. The Verge's Terrence O'Brien joins David to talk about where Suno came from, whether it can truly change the way we create and consume music, and how we can and should respond to AI music. We also have some thoughts on whether these songs might someday be bangers.

Further reading:

X admits its broken algorithm made the site feel like a ‘battleground’ | The Verge

The Pixel colors might rule this year | The Verge

Pixel Watch 5 leak shows off four different finishes | The Verge

New York becomes the first state to enact a data center moratorium | The Verge

Suno is a music copyright nightmare

Suno leans into customization with v5.5

Nobody wants to tell me why they only listen to their own Suno slop

Suno’s upgraded AI music generator is technically impressive, but still soulless

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.
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