Brian Barrett: It’s the kind of thing people click on without really thinking about it, right? TikTok is now also tracking data. Anything you enter into its AI tools—whether it’s a prompt or any information you provide—is being tracked and utilized. Ultimately, all of this ties back to serving you ads. The issue here is the lack of transparency and clarity; it’s like, all of a sudden, you realize this is going on. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on, especially regarding how TikTok’s algorithm could subtly shift over time. If there’s manipulation going on, I doubt it will be as blatant as “You can’t post about ICE.” However, you might notice changes in what shows up in your feed and what gets promoted, which are all part of that black box. That’s something we can’t easily measure from the outside, but it can impact user sentiment—which is, ironically, what they wanted to avoid when they started the process of moving TikTok out of Chinese ownership.
Tim Marchman: The issue is that, specifically with TikTok, it’s notoriously tough to track. A while ago, when researchers had API level access to Twitter, they could do some impressive sentiment analysis. Now, without that access, it’s almost impossible. TikTok is even trickier because of its highly personalized algorithm. So, just know that we might not be able to track changes in what it shows users with much certainty, even if we have anecdotal evidence that it’s shifting. It’s certainly something to ponder that isn’t very pleasant.
Zoë Schiffer: Now that we’ve covered apps, let’s move to our lightest segment yet.
Brian Barrett: I like how we’re easing into this.
Zoë Schiffer: Exactly! I think this one’s genuinely fun.
Tim Marchman: We’ll leave here in a great mood.
Zoë Schiffer: Have you guys heard of ClawdBot, now called MoltBot?
Brian Barrett: I’ve heard of it, but I really need you to explain why I should—or shouldn’t—buy a Mac Mini and use it for this.
Tim Marchman: Same here. This has been on my radar, but I’m learning alongside you.
Zoë Schiffer: Tim, you’ll need to highlight the significant security risks that come with letting this app manage your life. But essentially, from Will Knight’s excellent reporting on WIRED.com, this app is an AI assistant that connects various applications on your computer. It runs locally, and importantly, you can communicate with it through a messaging app. You send it commands, and it figures out the best way to assist you. The catch, like with all AI assistants, is that when you think, “Wow, an AI assistant is going to run my life,” my first thought is, “Can it submit an expense report? Because I would provide anything for that to happen.”
