Apr 16th 2026
Tech News Weekly 433
A $399 AI Deer That Texts You
Crazy Lore Behind an AI Companion
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! How AI is helping elders stay independent & provide companionship. How Apple and Google's app stores are pushing users toward deepfake nude apps, per an organization's report. And inside the crazy backstory behind an AI plush companion.
- Jennifer talks about Samsung's newest updates to its SmartThings Family Care service and how technology and AI are increasingly being used to help take care of elderly people & provide companionship.
- Mikah talks about a report from the Tech Transparency Project that found both Apple & Google's app stores that host & direct users to apps that generate non-consensual nude images of women.
- And Victoria Song of The Verge joins the show to share her review of a $399 AI companion and her very unique experience with the device overall.
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Links
- Samsung Elevates Experiences To Care for Users and Their Families With SmartThings Update – Samsung Global Newsroom
- Samsung launches SmartThings Family Care | The Verge
- The ElliQ companion robot can now send health updates to a caregiver | The Verge
- To Stay in Her Home, She Let In an A.I. Robot - The New York Times
- App Stores Push Users Toward Nudify Apps, New Research Shows
- TTP - Apple and Google Are Steering Users to Nudify Apps
- My baby deer plushie told me that Mitski’s dad was a CIA operative | The Verge