This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dig into the story around Google engineer Blake Lemoine’s interview with the Washington Post and his belief that the company’s LaMDA language model is alive. What does it mean for AI (or anything else) to have consciousness? Do people understand AI, and what other areas of concern should we as a society consider as machines become more sophisticated and human-like? Then, we recap some of the biggest gaming news this week, as well as some wacky gadget announcements.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

  • No, Google’s LaMDA AI isn’t sentient – 1:40

  • First look at gameplay from Bethesda’s Starfield RPG at Summer Games Fest – 25:39

  • Capcom announces Street Fighter 6 with a gorgeous trailer – 29:22

  • Hideo Kojima’s next game will be for Xbox – 32:55

  • Overwatch 2 early access coming on October 4th – 33:43

  • US proposes legislation to ban sale of location data – 34:14

  • Sony released a $3,700 Walkman – 38:42

  • Working on – 43:13

  • Pop culture picks – 44:34

Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Brian Oh
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

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