OpenAI’s Reasoning Machine, Instagram Teen Changes and Amazon R.T.O. Drama

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Last week, OpenAI released a preview of its hotly anticipated new model, o1. We discuss what it has excelled at and how it could accelerate the timeline for building superintelligence. Then, we explain why Meta is making teenagers’ Instagram accounts private by default. And, finally, we chat with the New York Times reporter Karen Weise about why Amazon is forcing its corporate employees to go back to working in the office five days a week and whether other companies will follow suit.

Guests:

• Karen Weise, a technology correspondent for The Times.

Additional Reading:

• OpenAI Unveils New ChatGPT That Can Reason Through Math and Science

• Instagram, Facing Pressure Over Child Safety Online, Unveils Sweeping Changes

• Amazon Tells Corporate Workers to Be Back in the Office 5 Days a Week

Credits

“Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton, and produced by Whitney Jones and Rachel Cohn. The show is edited by Jen Poyant. Engineering by Daniel Ramirez and original music by Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, Leah Shaw Dameron and Rowan Niemisto. Fact-checking by Caitlin Love.

Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui-Wing Tam, Kate LoPresti and Jeffrey Miranda.