WSJ Tech News Briefing

Social media platforms are full of posts by influencers talking up the latest generation of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. And it’s causing people to seek out the drugs, in some cases displacing doctors as the trusted authorities on whether to take one of the medicines. WSJ special writer Peter Loftus tells host Alex Ossola about what happens when social media and weight loss drugs overlap. Plus, a hack into healthcare technology company Change Healthcare has been called the most serious incident of its kind to strike the industry. Now, its parent company is digging into what happened. WSJ Pro Deputy Bureau Chief Kim Nash talks about the attack. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Microsoft’s profits rose in the first quarter. And Micron receives up to $6.1 billion to build three chip-making facilities. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, companies that make artificial intelligence tools including Open AI, Google and Meta agreed to incorporate new safety measures to protect children from exploitation and plug holes in their current defenses. A new alliance, led by a nonprofit called Thorn, is leading the charge. WSJ tech reporter Deepa Seetharaman tells host Alex Ossola about the problem, and how technology might help solve it. Plus, have you noticed that those online Captcha prompts to prove you’re human are getting harder? WSJ reporter Katie Deighton tells us how they’re trying to stay ahead of the bots. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Meta reports record first-quarter sales. And Google has delayed its timeline for eliminating cookies. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the demand for artificial intelligence grows, so does the need for more facilities to power it—namely, data centers. Data centers can take years to build because they require particular conditions, including cooling centers, ample electricity and real estate. Now, because of the AI boom, there’s a shortage of some of the key elements that data centers need. WSJ reporter Tom Dotan tells host Alex Ossola about what this means for the future of AI. Plus, startup Exowatt was created to power data centers via solar energy, and it’s already raised millions from investors. WSJ climate finance reporter Amrith Ramkumar talks about how the technology works. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: IBM nears an acquisition of cloud software provider HashiCorp. And Ericsson lays off more than 200 employees in China. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC, wasn’t created to serve as the nation’s central system for detecting child exploitation online, but for the past 25 years, that’s what it’s done. A WSJ analysis and a Stanford report found that the nonprofit is contending with outdated technology and legal constraints as the number of reports soars. WSJ technology reporter Jeff Horwitz tells host Alex Ossola why change might be on the way. Plus, WSJ Heard on the Street columnist Dan Gallagher talks about what analysts are looking for in Meta’s first-quarter earnings tomorrow. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Sam Altman invests in a startup intended to provide clean energy to data centers. And Disney’s chief technology officer departs. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early in Ukraine’s war with Russia, American startups were eager to have their drones battle-tested. But things haven’t gone well. Despite years of work, and billions of dollars in investment, the American-made drones have been riddled with problems . WSJ reporter Heather Somerville tells host Alex Ossola about the alternatives Ukrainian soldiers are turning to, and what it will take to improve American-made drones. Plus, as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into companies, some executives are rethinking their hiring and staffing needs. WSJ enterprise technology reporter Isabelle Bousquette discusses what this means for workers.  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Congress is fast-tracking an effort to crack down on TikTok. And China ordered Apple to remove four popular messaging apps from its Chinese app store. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust was one of the few ways to invest in bitcoin without buying the cryptocurrency itself. But in recent months, more than a dozen competing funds have popped up. Now the trust, which is still the world’s largest bitcoin fund, is bleeding. WSJ reporter Vicky Ge Huang tells host Alex Ossola how Grayscale is fighting to compete. Plus, Meta has released its latest AI model. WSJ social media business reporter Salvador Rodriguez talks about what’s new, and how it might change the user experience on the company’s platforms. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Meta releases its newest AI model. And Netflix adds millions of subscribers. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2015, Amazon launched an operation called Project Curiosity to gather information about its competitors’ operations. The company took extraordinary measures to keep it secret. WSJ reporter Dana Mattioli tells host Alex Ossola more about the project. Plus, big tech companies that spent years expanding their office space are now cutting back. WSJ reporter Konrad Putzier talks about what’s going on, and why it’s leaving property owners in the lurch. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: ASML posts lower-than-expected orders for the first quarter. And Tesla shareholders are once again set to vote on CEO Elon Musk’s pay package. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disinformation is rampant online, and generative artificial intelligence makes it all the more powerful. WSJ contributor Jack Brewster wanted to see just how easy it would be to make his own fully automated AI-generated news website. He tells host Alex Ossola about the experiment, and what it reveals about how disinformation is spread on the internet. Plus, China has for years wanted to wean its telecommunications systems off foreign-made chips. Now, it looks like that’s finally happening—and, as WSJ China tech editor Liza Lin discusses, it could have a big impact on American chip companies. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Microsoft invests in an Abu Dhabi-based tech company. And Tesla delays shipments of its Cybertruck, according to buyers. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching t o a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost a decade, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising that fully driverless vehicles are coming soon. Now, Musk says he plans to reveal the company’s first robotaxi in August. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins tells host Alex Ossola why Musk says Tesla has an advantage over its competitors… and why some investors are skeptical. Plus, under pressure to become more efficient, the meatpacking industry is embracing—and investing in—automation. WSJ reporter Patrick Thomas talks about what more automation could mean for companies and workers. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: The U.S. government grants Samsung $6.4 billion to expand its facilities in Texas. And Samsung overtakes Apple as the number one seller of smartphones worldwide. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Powerful artificial intelligence systems require huge amounts of data. But some researchers and executives say the need for high-quality text data could exceed the supply within two years. WSJ reporter Deepa Seetharaman tells Alex Ossola how AI companies are preparing for the potential data shortage. Plus, the race is on to build new chip-making facilities. WSJ reporter Belle Lin explains why one Brooklyn-based startup is betting on smaller, modular chip plants that are designed to be shipped anywhere. Julie Chang hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices