Shows
ArtifactoriPhone Air vs 17 Pro: Which Should You Buy? (Plus Labubu!)Labubu unboxing meets Apple event analysis! Darrell and Greg break down Apple's September announcements including AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch updates, and the complete iPhone 17 lineup. They dive deep into the new ultra-thin iPhone Air, debate Pro model features, discuss color choices, and explore why this event showcased Apple's hardware engineering prowess. Plus Darrell's phone upgrade decision and thoughts on the missing AI features. And a Labubu unboxing.
2025-09-151h 18ArtifactorThe Hiring Paradox: OpenAI's Job Platform and the Future of WorkIn this episode, Darrell and Greg dive into OpenAI's latest headline grab - a LinkedIn-style hiring platform complete with AI certifications that's coming next year. They explore the weird irony of the company that's supposedly destroying jobs now helping people find them, plus discuss whether AI-powered hiring could actually be more fair than current brutal filtering systems. The conversation meanders through Waymo's rapid expansion, concerns about AI seeming too conscious for our own good, and wraps up with a twisted version of "Two Truths and AI" where Ray successfully spots the one real startup among AI-generated fakes while hopped...
2025-09-0958 minArtifactorNano Banana Takes Over: Google's AI Image RevolutionIn this episode, Darrell and Greg dive deep into Google's impressive new AI image generation tool, Nano Banana (officially Gemini 2.5 Flash Image), which has been making waves for its ability to maintain subject consistency and perform sophisticated edits. Darrell demonstrates the technology's power by sharing an AI-generated red carpet photo of himself that completely fooled Greg, while also showcasing examples of film emulation, colorization, and creative compositing that rival professional photo editing software. We also preview the upcoming iPhone 17 event on September 9th, discussing the rumored iPhone 17 Air and new Apple Watch features, before ending on a sobering note...
2025-09-021h 09ArtifactorGoogle's Pixel Event Gets Weird (+ AI Psychosis Fears)Google's Made by Google event gets the cringe treatment with Jimmy Fallon hosting. We discuss new Pixel features like natural language photo editing and live call translation. Plus: Microsoft's AI CEO warns about AI pseudo-consciousness risks, the simulation theory implications of training AI inside AI, and Greg shows off his hack week creation - a physical embodiment of his company's AI mascot that rewards office check-ins. Features the regular "Two Truths and AI" game with startups including one that tells you if anyone has ever died in the house you want to buy, and...
2025-08-2653 minArtifactorElon Musk vs Sam Altman, and Google's slow-burn AI comebackIn this episode of Artifactor, Darrell and Greg dive into Google's surprising AI comeback, with Darrell revealing he's actually considering switching from iPhone to Android – and he's already canceled his ChatGPT subscription in favor of Google's Gemini. They explore Google's impressive new Imagen 4 image generator and the ultra-efficient Gemma 2B model that can run locally on devices with minimal battery usage, discussing the growing potential of small, specialized AI models for everything from social media moderation to remote monitoring applications.The hosts also break down the latest Twitter beef between Elon Musk and Sam Alt...
2025-08-1851 minArtifactorIs GPT-5 bad, actually? Plus Grok Imagine and DeepMind Genie 3Hey there, Artifactor fans! In this episode, Darrell and Greg are back at it, diving into the buzz around GPT-5's launch from OpenAI. They chat about all the cool new features, how it’s shaking things up in the AI world, and share their own experiences with the model. Spoiler alert: it’s got some serious upgrades, but it might not be living up to its pre-launch hype.They also spill the tea on Anthropic's Claude and the mind-blowing Genie 3 from DeepMind, which can whip up immersive 3D environments. Plus, don’t miss their take on Grok’s...
2025-08-111h 15ArtifactorZuckerberg’s Personal AI, Cat Attacks & Arcade RepairsDarrell and Greg dive into Meta's vision for "personalized superintelligence" and discuss whether it’s revolutionary, or just confusing. They talk about AI work tools, how AI agents are replacing tedious research, and why "cat facts" might mess up an AI math query. Plus, they explore Apple's quiet moves in AI, and Google's new gemini deep-think model. Stick around for the return of “Two Truths and an AI,” featuring potatoes and vinyl... and maybe a ghost or two.Subscribe and follow for weekly takes on AI, weird startup ideas, and real experiments with machine learning in everyday work.
2025-08-041h 04ArtifactorGPT-5 is Coming and My 3D Printer Actually Works NowJoin Darrell and Greg as they dive into the latest AI developments, including OpenAI's upcoming GPT-5 release and what makes it different from previous models. The hosts discuss Microsoft's new AI companion with personality and memory, Google's Opal coding app, and an unofficial Apple Health integration that lets you query your health data with natural language.In their regular segments, they explore practical AI applications from the week - from Darrell's custom podcast transcription tool to Greg's creative video generation experiments. The episode wraps up with "Art of Favorites," featuring Greg's enthusiasm for modern 3D printing technology...
2025-07-2859 minArtifactorWaifus, Snow Delivery, and AI AgentsArtifactor Podcast - Episode Show NotesDarrell Etherington and Greg Kumparak dive into Grok's controversial AI companion launch featuring anime characters designed to appeal to specific demographics, the rise of AI-generated music that's disrupting the lo-fi scene, and OpenAI's new Agent system that can browse the web and take actions on users' behalf. They debut their new segment "Two Truths and AI" where Greg challenges Darrell to identify fake AI-generated companies among real ones.Grok AI Companions: Three anime-style characters (Annie, Red Panda, Valentine) targeting "gooners and furries" to capture Silicon Valley talentAI Music Disruption: The...
2025-07-2239 minArtifactorGrok's extremist turn, AI talent wars and new competition in browsersIn this conversation, Darrell and Greg talk about new segments, and delve into the recent Grok update regarding AI moderation. The discussion then shifts to the competitive landscape of AI talent acquisition and how it's becoming increasingly like professional sports contract negotiations, and the emergence of AI browsers, including Perplexity's new Comet, exploring the implications and potential future of these technologies.
2025-07-1549 minArtifactorClaude Artifacts, an AI vending machine, and Nothing Phone (3)In this episode, Darrell Etherington and Greg Kumparak explore a variety of tech topics, including the latest innovations in AI, travel experiences, and the evolution of gadgets. They discuss Claude's new features, the future of coding, and the importance of creativity in technology. The conversation also touches on the significance of photo storage and the value of memories in the digital age, culminating in reflections on the need for continued innovation in tech.Josh McConnell's review of the 2025 Asus Zenbook Duo dual-screen laptopThe Kidamento instant camera Greg talked about
2025-07-0242 minArtifactorThe Real (?) First Episode: The Emotional Side of AI InteractionsSummaryIn this episode of Artifactor, hosts Darrell Etherington and Greg discuss the latest developments in AI, including the red teaming process by Anthropic, which reveals potential risks in AI behavior. They explore the emotional attachments users develop with AI, the implications of AI memory and user interaction, and the cultural significance of niche audiences in the digital age. The conversation highlights the importance of transparency in AI development and reflects on the changing landscape of technology and media. Also we talk about Dropout, which is great.Links:Agentic Misalignment: How...
2025-06-2348 minArtifactorThe Prologue EpisodeWelcome to Artifactor: Episode Zero (which might say 'One' in your podcast app)TechCrunch veterans Darrell Etherington and Greg Kumparak reunite for an unfiltered dive into tech, media, and nostalgia-fueled chaos. In this debut episode, they riff on WWDC, the Switch 2, and why they decided to hit record in the first place. It’s part therapy, part industry insight, and fully a work in progress.
2025-06-1632 min
Original ContentSummer movie madness!This week, we're joined by Greg Kumparak to argue about some of the big movies of the spring and summer, including A Quiet Place, Solo, The Incredibles 2, Ocean's 8 and Avengers: Infinity War. Also covered: The new superhero-centric streaming service from DC Entertainment and Apple's subscriptions plans.
Links:
[DC Entertainment opens sign ups for its streaming and digital comics service][1]
[Apple could bundle TV, music and news in a single subscription][2]
[‘Solo’ is a serviceable Star Wars story][3]
[‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is an overstuffed adventure with a terrific villain][4]
[1]:https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/28/dc-universe/
[2]:https://techcrunch.com/2018...
2018-06-301h 05