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Bytes: Week in Review - OpenAI officially joins the browser wars Oct 24, 2025

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OpenAI released its new web browser, Atlas, in a bid to become our main conduit to the internet. Plus, we learned this week that Amazon may be planning to expand its use of robots and shrink its use of humans at its warehouses. And this week's disruptive outage at Amazon Web Services reminded us of just how much we depend on cloud computing, even for a good night's sleep. Marketplace’s Nova Safo discussed all of this with Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at the venture firm Collab Capital, for this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

The aerospace industry is betting on hybrid air taxis Oct 23, 2025

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The promise has been titillating: quiet, electric taxis taking off vertically, floating over urban traffic. The consulting firm McKinsey says in a matter of five years, flying taxi fleets could rival airlines in size.

Well, maybe. It's already taking longer than predicted. Marketplace’s Henry Epp has been tracking the industry and its evolution.

How Indigenous communities are adopting AI Oct 22, 2025

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Artificial intelligence holds a lot of promise for tribal nations — as a force multiplier for hard-to-staff departments, a tool to better serve tribal citizens, and even to aid in the revitalization of Indigenous languages and culture.

But, as with all applications of AI tools, data security concerns loom. And some nations are adopting the new technology quicker than others. For an overview, Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Savannah Peters, who covers Indigenous communities for Marketplace.

How will AI-led e-commerce affect small businesses? Oct 21, 2025

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AI chatbot adoption is moving rapidly. We can already ask the tools to help us find local restaurants, a good deal on an item we’re looking to purchase. And soon, we’ll even be able to buy products from Walmart through ChatGPT. But as more people turn to AI for search and shopping, what happens to small businesses that traditionally depend on web searches and online reviews?

New CA law requires Uber and Lyft to bargain with drivers Oct 20, 2025

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California has enacted a law requiring rideshare giants Uber and Lyft to collectively bargain with their drivers. Because the drivers are technically independent contractors, they otherwise would not have federally-protected labor rights like full-time employees. The new state law could be a game changer.

Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Levi Sumagaysay, reporter at CalMatters, who helps sift through the details of the law.

Bytes: Week in Review — Instagram to limit content for teens, Walmart lands OpenAI deal, and Apple rebrands streaming service Oct 17, 2025

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AppleTV+ ditches the plus in its name. Plus, Walmart announced an e-commerce deal with OpenAI so customers can shop through ChatGPT.

But first, Instagram announced what it called PG-13 settings for teen accounts. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at the Wall Street Journal, to discuss all these topics and more.

Documents show ICE wants a nonstop social media surveillance system Oct 16, 2025

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to set up an around-the-clock social media surveillance network, according to public documents reviewed by WIRED magazine.

Under the proposal, ICE would partner with private contractors to monitor platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for information and leads that can be passed on to officers in the field.

Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Dell Cameron, senior writer at WIRED who broke the story, about the proposed structure of this new surveillance program.

FCC cuts expansion to broadband, hotspot access Oct 15, 2025

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Before the government shutdown, the Federal Communications Commission voted to end funding for Wi-Fi on school buses and the lending of hotspot devices from libraries. Nicol Turner Lee, author of “Digitally Invisible,” said this could further the digital divide for marginalized communities.

Is surveillance technology a more humane alternative to detaining immigrants? Oct 14, 2025

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Countries all over the world use technology to keep track of immigrants released from detention centers. The idea is to allow people to live in communities while their cases are adjudicated.

But Petra Molnar of the Refugee Law Lab at York University said the technology is also often employed in ways that are too intrusive and can act like digital shackles. She told Marketplace’s Nova Safo that even smartphone apps, which can be glitchy, are a challenge for immigrants who are often waiting on asylum claims.

AI companies are eyeing your shopping cart and your data Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Open AI has added a checkout feature to ChatGPT, partnering with Etsy and Shopify to let users purchase some items from select merchants. OpenAI says ChatGPT's answers are still organic and unsponsored. But why not offer a seamless way to buy things that come up in certain responses?

Eventually this could lead to so-called “agentic” shopping: letting AI research items, pick one, and then buy it on our behalf. Marketplace's Nova Safo spoke with colleague Meghan McCarty Carino about what AI companies stand to gain from integrating e-commerce tech.

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