The Vergecast

Is the key to turning around public opinion on AI just to make it cuter? Nilay Patel, Jake Kastrenakes and David Imel talk about the latest adorable agents that want access to all your data, then discuss whether this week's White House AI accord is worth the paper it's written on.

Plus: Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets! We speculate on Apple's rumored October 13 announcement, drool over Huawei's camera for your cameraphone, and herald the return of physical buttons in the new Kindle cases.

We wrap things up with the usual Brendan Carr is a Dummy and a lightning round full of Cybercabs, data centers, 'Old Reddit' and government chatbots.

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Further reading:

OpenAI launches Dots, its Muse competitor

OpenAI plans to bring Dots to consumers, too.

Meta’s Muse AI sent a YouTuber’s address to a stranger

Maybe don’t let Muse run your Facebook Marketplace account.

Sam Altman says OpenAI won’t go public until its models are safe

Google announces Gemini 4 and says it’s so capable that only ‘trusted cyber defenders’ can have it right now

AI researchers put out videos saying superintelligence is ‘exactly as dangerous as it sounds’

Here’s how tech leaders will self-police AI safety under Trump’s deal

Here’s what AI leaders are saying about Trump’s new safety plan

Trump: “You’re going to see — data centers are going to be very popular.”

Trump orders US government to call AI ‘Super Intelligence’

Huawei made a whole camera to attach to its latest phone

Amazon is launching colorful new Kindles — and a case with physical page-turn buttons

Apple’s ‘HomePad’ will reportedly launch on October 13th

NBC News: FCC head says government-funded Trump ads are ‘normal’ and ‘don’t raise any red flags’

The People of Utah vs. Kevin O’Leary

Tesla’s Cybercab robotaxi rollout: the biggest news and announcements

The White House launched an AI chatbot for government-related questions.

Reddit says it has to cut back access to ‘Old Reddit’ because of AI bots

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.

0:00 Welcome

00:52 Awards and Listener Voting

01:36 Week Ahead Preview

01:52 OpenAI Dots vs Meta Muse

06:09 Living as Tasks

19:47 Business Models and Privacy

23:41 Bot Traffic and Web Friction

27:48 Trump Superintelligence Accord

37:46 Gadget Segment Kickoff

38:26 Huawei Screw On Lens Camera

41:33 Why Phone Camera Hybrids Fail

44:09 Pricey Phone Lens Debate

45:31 Kindle Lineup Upgrades

48:49 Apple Smart Home Display Rumors

01:02:58 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:08:27 America Gov Chatbot

01:14:54 Old Reddit Bot Crackdown

01:19:30 Utah Data Center Blowup

01:25:17 Cybercab Ride Report

01:27:31 Wrap Up And Plugs
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In this hotline episode, guest host David Imel answers your questions about digital cameras, iPods, E Ink phones, and the TI-84 graphing calculator being iced out of the Version History Hall of Fame.

Further reading:

Amazon is launching colorful new Kindles — and a case with physical page-turn buttons

NYC is now the first city in America that bans sketchy subscriptions

HP’s answer to the MacBook Neo is thinner, lighter, and comes with OLED

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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Jolly's got new competition: OpenAI just launched its competitor to Muse and Grok Bot. It's called Dots, and the headline feature is that it's also cute, with fuzzy lil triangles and clouds and hearts that you can give access to your personal accounts to do things for you. The Verge's senior AI reporter Hayden Field joins guest host David Imel from San Francisco right after OpenAI's DevDay presentation.

Further reading:

OpenAI DevDay 2026: The biggest news and announcements

The Vergecast has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote to help us win here.

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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The Pokémon Trading Card Game isn't just a game, it's an economy. Livestreamers provide vicarious dopamine hits to viewers who tune in to watch them open booster packs, and the rarest cards can resell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The game's 30th anniversary collection just launched, putting more copies of the game's rarest cards back into circulation. Guest host David Imel talks about the state of the Pokémon TCG market with The Verge's film, TV and pop culture reporter Charles Pulliam-Moore.

Further reading:

OpenAI launches Dots

Nothing Headphone 1 Pro

Your new Chromebook won’t get 10 years of ChromeOS support — because support now ends 2034.

Pokémon card scalpers have turned collecting into an online blood sport

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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It's a confusing time right now for gaming. Video games are becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. Games are expensive to make, too, and companies want to sell the most lucrative ones they can: Sony and Microsoft are cutting jobs to refocus on blockbusters. At the same time, we’ve got more ways to play than ever: handhelds, phones, even cloud gaming is getting better. So where are we headed? Today on The Vergecast, Sean Hollister asks that question of Shuhei Yoshida, who spent 31 years at Sony playing games and figuring out what gamers will pay for.

Further reading:

The smart home graveyard is getting crowded

There may be a way to save your June Oven after all

Nvidia says its new AI safety platform can contain rogue agents within ‘milliseconds’

Bose’s first wired earbuds in 11 years add noise canceling

Xbox is barely Xbox anymore

AI was everywhere at gaming’s big developer conference — except the games

Half of developers think gen AI is bad for the gaming industry

In 2025, AI became a lightning rod for gamers and developers

The golden age of handheld gaming is already over

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

The PS6 sure sounds like a handheld

The Steam Deck makes PlayStation’s biggest games portable

PlayStation exclusives aren’t coming to PC anymore

I regret buying the PSVR 2

Xbox exploring ‘radically different’ console business models

How Sony bought, and squandered, the future of gaming

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