In January, the Joe Biden administration unveiled a new tool to help migrants seeking asylum at U.S. borders. An expanded smartphone app managed by Customs and Border Protection now allows asylum seekers to schedule appointments to enter the country. But since this function launched, thousands of migrants coming from Latin America have been scrambling to sign up, and many have encountered technical glitches in the process. KPBS reporter Gustavo Solis spoke with migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, as they tried out the new system.

The new wave of generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, has got the tech business in a frenzy.

Venture capitalists are pouring money into new AI startups: Investments in generative AI have already exceeded $2 billion. But there’s lots of unknown unknowns about the innovation. There’s virtually no oversight from the government, and teachers, artists, researchers and others are raising concerns.

“There’s so much happening under the hood that we don’t get access to … there needs to be much more transparency,” said Alex Hanna, director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute.

On the show today: why AI is getting so much attention these days, ethical issues with the tech and what lawmakers should focus on when trying to regulate it. Plus, why some say it could exacerbate the climate crisis.

In the News Fix, some Kia and Hyundai cars keep getting stolen, and insurance companies are taking notice. Plus, we might spend the most on health care, but health in the United States falls behind other high-income countries by several measures. And, why you might want to get ready for some inflation whiplash.

Later, we’ll hear from a listener who’s pro-ChatGPT when it comes to writing cover letters. And in the spirit of Dry January, Elva Ramirez, author of “Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking,” gives us a little history lesson on mocktails (or cleverages).

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Investors seek to profit from groundbreaking ‘generative AI’ start-ups” from Financial Times

• • Alex Hanna’s “Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000” on Twitch

• • “AI rockets ahead in vacuum of U.S. regulation” from Axios

• • “Robots trained on AI exhibited racist and sexist behavior” from The Washington Post

• • “What jobs are affected by AI? Better-paid, better-educated workers face the most exposure” from the Brookings Institution

• • “Yellen Sees Low Inflation as More Likely Long-Term Challenge” from Bloomberg

• • “State Farm says it has stopped insuring some Kia, Hyundai vehicles” from CBS News

• • “Health care spending in the US is nearly double that of other wealthy nations: report” from The Hill

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.

New Labor Department data shows that wage growth slowed to 1% last quarter. That may not sound too rosy for workers, but it’s welcome news to Federal Reserve officials, who are mulling additional interest rate hikes as they try to deflate wage growth and keep unemployment under control at the same time. Also, the continuing pull of cookbooks, the billions in unclaimed college financial aid and the impacts of rising prices on wedding planning.

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Young people have done it again — “it” being reviving an old piece of technology from the dead. This time, it’s old cameras that their parents likely used. We talked to David Little, head of the International Center of Photography, about the latest trend. Johnson & Johnson is seemingly deeper in legal trouble after a court rejected its bankruptcy filing amid lawsuits over its baby powder. And, on the third anniversary of Brexit, the BBC reports on the increasing pressure over the UK’s land border with Ireland, an EU member.

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Global growth is projected to be low in the coming year but beat previous expectations, a fresh report from the International Monetary Fund says. Optimism about inflation, loosening supply chain backlogs, and the re-opening of China are all contributing to rosier predictions. A check-in with the so-called “resolution economy,” which revolves primarily around people wanting to improve themselves in the new year. And, the French tech company Thales has launched a credit card that talks as an aid for people with visual impairments.

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From the BBC World Service: Three years on what has Brexit meant for businesses in the U.K. and the European Union? Britain’s official exit from the E.U. and its single market on January the 31st, 2019 marked the biggest shake-up of the economy for decades. How have businesses responded and what impact has it had? Plus, negotiations continue over the U.K.’s one land border with the E.U., between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We hear about the complexities involved and the dual status enjoyed by businesses in Northern Ireland that can still operate within the E.U. single market.

Bazillionaires, get ready! A new season of “Million Bazillion” is dropping earlier than usual this year.

Bridget and Ryan are back February 7 answering more of the big questions kids send us about money. In Season 4, we’re digging into everything from the black market to the wage gap and why different countries use different currencies. Plus, our first ever “Million Bazillion” money mania game show.

Don’t forget to sign up for our “Million Bazillion” newsletter, where you’ll find episode extras including a tipsheet, trivia, and cool comics to keep your student learning about how money works in the real world.

We’ll be making dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting next month. Check us out on your favorite podcast app and be sure to subscribe! And, if you’d like to binge our last season, you can do that here.

Technology is making it easier and easier to create and disseminate visuals, from text-to-image artificial intelligence models and sophisticated deepfakes to simple memes retweeted with hashtags. Visuals are the lingua franca of the internet, but their potential to easily spread misinformation — particularly about health topics — make them especially dangerous to the public. That’s according to an article published last year in the journal Science Communication. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke to Andy King, an associate professor of communication at the University of Utah. King co-authored the commentary titled “Missing the Bigger Picture,” which discussed what makes visual misinformation unique.

The U.S. has hit the debt limit 78 times since the 1960s, but for the first time in history, five women are responsible for shaping U.S. fiscal policy. Their experience and perspectives, could change how the country deals with the debt limit. And they might be able to do what other politicians cannot: get along. Plus, how did George Santos fund his campaign? Kimberly is back from vacation and joins Kai to talk all things Washington, and shares what made her smile while she was gone.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Mint the coin? Buy back bonds? 7 ‘gimmicks’ for dodging the debt limit.” from The Washington Post

• • “Ford Cuts Prices of EV Mustang Mach-E” from The Wall Street Journal

• • “5 women, immense power: Can they keep US from fiscal brink?” from The Associated Press

• • “George Santos, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Citizens United” from the Brennan Center for Justice

• • “Watch the moon eclipse Mars tonight” from Space

Have any thoughts, or questions that you want to share with us? You can write to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

Many CEOs and economists anticipate a recession this year. But their predictions, based on economic data and historical trends, are part art and part science. Today, we’ll dig into how those forecasts are made. Plus, why inflation varies depending on where you live, how business owners in China feel about reopening and how lawmakers’ pay, or lack thereof, influences who serves in government.

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Nissan and Renault, two of the world’s largest automakers, announced that they are renewing their alliance after months of talks. The relationship previously deteriorated after a financial scandal involving past CEO-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn. The Federal Reserve faces a tough decision on how much it should raise interest rates at the bank’s next meeting. And, Ukraine has arguably been fighting two wars simultaneously — one against Russian invaders, and another against corruption at home.

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Consumer sentiment is on the up-and-up relative to the lows it’s been sitting at. According to the University of Michigan’s most recent Consumer Sentiment Index, people surveyed are now expecting inflation to fall below 4 percent in the coming year. The Fed, meanwhile, is still deciding what to do in its next rate-hiking cycle, as some prominent voices disagree about the scale of a potential increase. And, a check-in on the manufacturing sector with Julie Schertell, CEO of Georgia-based manufacturer Mativ.

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Representatives of different Ukrainian political parties and movements stage a protest outside the constitutional court building in Kiev on October 30, 2020. – Activists protested against the ruling of Ukraine’s constitutional court that blocked a number of anti-corruption laws including on free public access to officials’ declarations, a significant rollback of Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Sales of electric vehicles have really picked up in the last year or so, but at just shy of 6% of all cars sold in the U.S. They’ve still got a long way to go before they hit mass adoption, like the long way to go to find a charger in many areas of the country. There are currently about 100,000 public chargers in the U.S. The federal government wants to reach about half a million chargers by the end of the decade, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill includes billions of dollars to help make that happen. Reporter Rae Solomon of KUNC in Colorado has this story about how rural areas fit into the electrification plan.

Higher mortgage rates have cooled off the once-hot housing market. But for the first time in seven months, pending home sales have improved, which means the market is seeing some movement. And China’s oil and gas use fell for the first time in decades! Kai is joined by guest host Amy Scott to discuss all this and play a round of Half Full / Half Empty.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • In light of Tyre Nichols video coming out, a roundup of police reforms in the years since George Floyd’s murder from The New York Times

• • Pending home sales index from the National Association of Realtors

• • “China’s Oil and Gas Use Fell in 2022 for First Time in Decades” from The New York Times

• • “New Costco Design With Apartments Overhead Has Property Brokers Buzzing” from CoStar

• • “Amazon Starts Drug Subscription Service for Prime Members” from Bloomberg

• • “Should you use ChatGPT to apply for jobs? Here’s what recruiters say” from Fast Company

• • “M&M’s replaces its spokescandies with Maya Rudolph after Tucker Carlson’s rants” from NPR

We love hearing and reading your questions and comments, so please keep sending them! You can write to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

The American consumer saved more and spent less in December, cutting back on restaurants, movies and sporting events. Will that slow inflation? We’ll talk about that on today’s show.  Plus, the confusing economy, who holds U.S. debt, and what’s behind the growing business of liquidation.

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The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, out this morning indicates that inflation tempered last month. FHN Financial Chief Economist Christopher Low helps us look behind the numbers. And, China’s holdings of developing countries’ debt is beginning to play into the wider U.S.-China relationship, says David Dollar of the Brookings Institution.

A new paper in the journal “Nature” finds that the rate of scientific innovation has been on a steady decline, despite living in the most technologically advanced age in the history of humanity. Co-author Russell Funk, a professor at the University of Minnesota, helps us understand what’s going on. This round of corporate layoffs could portend a larger slowdown in the labor market, which has remained hot. And, yesterday’s GDP numbers may be good on the surface, but there are some less-than-ideal signs deeper in the report.

From the BBC World Service: In a special programme from Dresden in east Germany, we hear from one European green tech company – Solarwatt – who are calling for the EU to give the industry similar tax breaks and financial incentives to those introduced by President Biden in the U.S.. We also talk to the semi-conductor manufacturer Global Foundries about how to keep the supply chain secure, amid concerns about China’s data collection.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court announced it was putting off hearing a pair of highly anticipated cases that could fundamentally change social media as we know it The cases concern laws in Florida and Texas, pushed by conservatives in those states, which basically make it illegal for social media platforms to block or hide content – like say from a former president – even if the post violates the companies’ terms of service. Both laws have been blocked from taking effect while the rest of the country waits for the high court to weigh in. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Daphne Keller, director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center, about why these cases could be consequential.

The drought in California is by no means over, but the recent winter storms made a big difference. We’ll discuss what it all means for the state’s residents, reservoirs and wildflowers! Then we’ll unpack a sobering statistic about gun violence in the United States. And Kai Ryssdal geeks out over SpaceX’s new Starship rocket.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “California to get major boost in water supplies following January storms” from the Los Angeles Times

• • “More mass shootings in U.S. than days in 2023 so far” from Axios

• • “NYSE Mayhem Traced to a Staffer Who Left a Backup System Running” from Bloomberg

• • “SpaceX completes fueling test, will now work toward massive engine firing test” from Ars Technica

• • “Chipotle Beefs Up Hiring Ahead of ‘Burrito Season’” from The New York Times

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time/6:30 p.m. Eastern. We’ll have news, drinks, a game and more.

Economists often see both good and bad news in economic data. Today’s gross domestic product report was no different. The economy grew by 2.9% last quarter, which was more than expected, but there are some signs of a slowdown. Today, we’ll examine the two sides of the GDP coin. Then, we’ll tour a Costco returns warehouse in New Jersey and visit a co-working space in Seattle.

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Today’s GDP numbers likely lifted many an economist’s spirits — the economy grew at 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter last year, a solid showing despite inflation pressures and the threat of recession. KPMG Chief Economist Diane Swonk helps us dissect what’s in today’s report. Boeing is being sued for fraud over faults in its 737 MAX plane that caused two fatal crashes. And, a look at the effects of the increasing amount of private money flowing into drug rehabilitation programs.

The maker of the Taser, the weapon meant to be a non-lethal option for law enforcement, is toying with the idea of selling drones with Tasers attached. Among the potential clients: schools. We talked to Dina Temple-Raston, host of the “Click Here” podcast, about her reporting on the story. Southwest is facing a probe on whether the airline booked more flights than it could cancel at the time of its mass-cancellation debacle. And, there are storm clouds hanging over the housing market, but there are some signs they may be lifting a bit.

From the BBC World Service: A deal has finally been done to send American and German tanks to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky says they need to be delivered quickly, but just how realistic is that – and how costly? We hear from the former commander of the British Army’s tank regiment. Millions of Pakistanis were left without power this week after a major failure of the country’s energy grid. The system is back up and running but businesses tell us they fear more cuts, and the disruption they bring. And, how the Dutch have made more space for cyclists by building an underwater bike park.

Amazon might seem anathema to small business, but the fact is, third-party sellers account for the majority of the e-commerce giant’s sales. These sellers range from independent artisans and designers to opportunistic resellers of products from big-box stores. A new report from the nonprofit Data & Society examines how Amazon is helping, hurting and generally transforming the small business retail model. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Moira Weigel, the author of the report and a professor at Northeastern University. She described the effect Amazon has on small businesses as a “trickle-down monopoly.”

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Today, the White House announced a slew of actions aimed at helping renters. Though we’ve seen recent glimmers of a cooling rent market, the national median has shot up more than 20% since 2020. So how do landlords set rents in the first place? We explore. Then, we’ll examine the limitations of the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure and visit an irreverent beverage company making canned water cool.

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As Kai Ryssdal puts it, the United States is like House Lannister from “Game of Thrones”: It always pays its debt. But if Congress isn’t able to increase the debt limit, the government won’t have enough money to pay all its bills later this year. A listener called in to ask how that would affect regular Americans. We’ll get into it and answer more of your questions about the economic consequences of exclusionary zoning, how tariffs work and how households of different income levels are affected by rising inflation. Plus, is Kai an electric vehicle convert?

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership on the Debt Limit” from the U.S. Department of the Treasury

• • “Debt Limit Brinkmanship (Again)” from Moody’s Analytics

• • “America’s racist housing rules really can be fixed” from Vox

• • “Understanding Exclusionary Zoning and Its Impact on Concentrated Poverty” from The Century Foundation

• • “What Is A Tariff And Who Pays It?” from The Tax Policy Center

• • “Congress Should Take Back Its Authority Over Tariffs” from Foreign Policy

• • “The Truth About Tariffs” from the Council on Foreign Relations

• • “For Black and Latino families, inflation can hit even harder” from Marketplace

• • “Inflation Disparities by Race and Income Narrow” from Liberty Street Economics

• • “EV Consumer Survey Report” from Plug In America

If you’ve got a question about business, tech and the economy, give us a shout. We’re at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The corporate earnings season has thus far been a downer. Yesterday, Microsoft announced its profits fell 12 percent last quarter, which comes after major banks reported similarly poor performances. We check in with Susan Schmidt, Head of Public Equity at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, about what to expect as companies continue to report earnings. Mainline economic indicators fell again this month, raising the spectre of recession. Copper prices are surging worldwide, partly due to China’s re-emergence after lifting its Covid lockdown restrictions. And, a report from the BBC’s Sally Nabil from Egypt about the country’s worsening economic situation.

Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk is once again defending himself against a lawsuit. This time, plaintiffs are suing Musk over a 2018 tweet saying he was considering taking Tesla private which caused investors to lose money. Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan, helps us break down the suit. And, the Department of Justice is suing Google’s parent company, Alphabet, over allegations that the company has monopolized the digital advertising business.

From the BBC World Service: We hear from the Amazon workers in the UK who are staging their first strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. Plus, a German union says Ford is planning thousands of job cuts in Europe. What’s driving the group’s future strategy? And, Egypt is struggling with rising prices, a weak currency and a cash-strapped government. What impact is that having on day-to-day lives?

A plant in Iceland recently became the first large-scale facility to remove carbon dioxide from the air on behalf of corporate clients paying to reduce their carbon footprints. The Climeworks operation uses a process called direct-air capture, or DAC. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Aniruddh Mohan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. He said the technology could be key to averting the worst of climate change.

With all the rage tweets about gas stoves, it may be hard to believe, but climate change wasn’t always so polarizing.

Studies show that public opinion on the topic started to splinter in the 1990s, when governments and corporations had to reckon with the threat of a warming planet.

“Prior to 1997, it was a conversation among a bunch of scientists, but once the Kyoto treaty came, it became an issue that affected powerful political and economic interests,” said Andrew Hoffman, professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan and author of “How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate.”

On the show today: Hoffman explains how climate change became a partisan issue, the financial and economic interests that got us to where we are today, and what might get us back to some common ground.

In the News Fix, guest host Amy Scott tells us about an ad campaign bringing attention to gender bias in internet search results. Plus, we’ll explain why classified documents in surprising places is more common than you might expect. And stick around for the TL;DR on Elon Musk’s trial over what he said about Tesla on Twitter (the social media platform he now owns).

Later, we’ll hear from a listener who did the math on the cost-effectiveness of fueling up with diesel vs. gas, and a loyal listener makes us smarter about our own theme music!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Climate Science as Culture War” from the Stanford Social Innovation Review
• A widening gap: Republican and Democratic views on climate change from Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development
• “For Earth Day, key facts about Americans’ views of climate change and renewable energy” from Pew Research Center
• “Politics & Global Warming, March 2018” from Yale Program on Climate Communication
• “How the humble gas stove became the latest flash point in the culture wars” from The Washington Post
• “Wyoming lawmaker behind electric-vehicle ban says he didn’t mean it” from The Washington Post
• “The business opportunity that is climate change” from Marketplace
• “Correct The Internet & DDB NZ on a mission to highlight bias against women’s sport” from The Drum
• “Global ‘Correct the Internet’ campaign launches to make sportswomen more visible via DDB NZ” from Campaign Brief
• “Classified Documents Found at Mike Pence’s Home” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Elon Musk Securities-Fraud Trial” from Bloomberg

It’s a new year, and we’re looking for new answers to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART and your submission may be featured in a future episode.

After being fueled by a surge in pandemic demand, the manufacturing sector is showing signs of cooling off. Production and hiring in the industry slowed toward the end of last year. Today, we’ll take a look at what’s driving the manufacturing decline. Plus, why copper prices are rising, how commercial lending is faring amid high interest rates and where the streaming economy is going.

The CEO of Live Nation, an entertainment company bought by Ticketmaster over a decade ago, is facing a grilling on Capitol Hill over last year’s online sales debacle with Taylor Swift concert tickets. This, as it reportedly faces a probe by the Department of Justice. There’s data today that orders from factories are down, which comes amid a spate of bad news for the manufacturing sector. And, as part of our Econ Extra Credit series, we delve into how social media and algorithms promote a certain body image…and how that can translate into harm for some people.

Amazon announced it will launch a new subscription drug service dubbed Amazon RxPass to complement its existing pharmaceutical products. The service, which will offer generic medications for $5 a month with Prime membership, will be the latest attempt by the online retail behemoth to make waves in the healthcare space. And, as part of our Econ Extra Credit series, we delve into the extreme fitness industry with Stephen Mayville, a Reno-based psychologist who studies muscle dysmorphia and steroid misuse.

From the BBC World Service: Twitter stands accused of skipping rent to King Charles III. The Crown Estate in the U.K., which manages property belonging to the reigning monarch, has filed court proceedings against the firm for arrears on its headquarters in London’s famous Piccadilly Circus.
Plus, questions are being raised over Ticketmaster and whether it has a monopoly. We look at what U.S. regulators could maybe learn from Europe. And we hear more on those plans for a common currency in South America.

The mea culpas from tech CEOs announcing massive job cuts have become a familiar refrain: “We hired too many people.” “We were much too optimistic.” “This did not play out the way I expected.” That’s a mashup of statements from Salesforce, Stripe and Meta. The tech industry continues to shed jobs: Google and Microsoft announced thousands of layoffs last week and Spotify this week. So, why did so many tech companies make the same mistake of overhiring? Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Anup Srivastava, a Canada research chair and professor at the University of Calgary. He said going big during boom times is baked into the business model of the industry.

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve hit the debt limit. That means a whole lot of debate about how to avoid a debt default is likely ahead. One of the more creative solutions involves minting a trillion-dollar platinum coin. We’ll explain why that probably won’t fly. Also, we’ll have an update on the artificial intelligence wars in tech. And guest host Amy Scott makes us smiley and sporty with a story about soccer star Erling Haaland.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Janet Yellen Dismisses Minting $1 Trillion Coin to Avoid Default” from The Wall Street Journal

• • “Microsoft to Deepen OpenAI Partnership, Invest Billions in ChatGPT Creator” from The Wall Street Journal

• • “Wind Turbines Taller Than the Statue of Liberty Are Falling Over” from Bloomberg

• • “Earth’s Core Has Stopped and May Be Reversing Direction, Study Says” from Vice

• • “Man City star Erling Haaland’s incredible hat trick stats as he surpasses last year’s Golden Boot tally” from ESPN

Got a question for our hosts? Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org. Or leave us a voice message at 508 U-B-SMART, or 508-827-6278.

Tech and finance companies have announced major job cuts recently, yet the unemployment rate hit at a 50-year low in December. What gives? The answer lies in the still-tight job market and the hassles of dealing with outdated unemployment systems. Then, why business economists are less glum about the economy and why big banks want to get into the digital wallet biz.

With the latest inflation report indicating a moderation in rising prices, some CEOs and economists are changing their tune on forecasts of a potential recession this year. Julia Coronado explains what’s driving optimism that the near-term economic future may not be as bad as originally predicted. As Lunar New Year festivities kick off worldwide, China is having to balance celebrating one of the country’s most important holidays with a severe Covid situation. And, Chris Farrell talks about the potential benefits of the bigger Social Security checks that went out this month.

The holiday season may be over, but another “season” is now upon us — the one to pay your taxes. The IRS’s window to submit tax returns is open from now until around April 15 for most people, and the agency is promising better service than in recent years when it experienced crippling delays. Renters nowadays are having to spend higher and higher proportions of their income on housing, which takes away from spending in other areas. And, some of the Federal Reserve’s highest-profile figures are publicly disagreeing about how much to hike interest rates in the near future.

From the BBC World Service: We examine why Brazil and Argentina are exploring a common currency. Both countries have been wracked by economic demons – with Argentina in particular suffering one of the highest inflation rates in world. Plus, why Pakistan is facing power cuts. And we meet the Hongkongers celebrating Lunar New Year in the U.K.

A California project that’s harnessing solar power to save water may seem a bit counterintuitive, given the dousing the state just received from a series of giant storms. But most of the state is still technically in a drought. That trend is expected to only intensify in the long term because of climate change, as warmer average temperatures increase evaporation. Take California’s vast system of open canals, which transport water across the state from reservoirs to agricultural lands and metropolitan areas. Scientists at the University of California, Merced, estimate that the waterways lose tens of billions of gallons of water to evaporation every year. A new project aims to shield the flows from the heat and sun by covering canals with solar panels while  helping the state meet its renewable energy goals.

Google has been the most popular search engine in the world for over two decades, but the company is bringing in the big shots to help fight the company’s most significant threat since the iPhone came out: ChatGPT. To keep up with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, Google said it’s making serious investments in the technology. Meanwhile, Google cut jobs in its AI unit amid widespread layoffs in the tech industry. Guest hosts Amy Scott and Matt Levin get into it. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Google Calls In Larry Page and Sergey Brin to Tackle ChatGPT and A.I. Chatbots” from The New York Times

• • “Google’s Treasured AI Unit Gets Swept Up in 12,000 Job Cuts” from Bloomberg

• • “Google is slashing 12,000 workers, as a wave of layoffs continues into 2023. Here’s the full list of major US companies making cuts.” from Business Insider

• • “Affordable-housing hopes are building around 3D printed homes” from Marketplace

• • “The NBA is experiencing a points explosion” from Axios

• • “CNET pauses publishing AI-written stories after disclosure controversy” from The Verge

• • “Mountain Dew Is Turning Its Baja Blast Soda Into A Hot Sauce” from Tasting Table

We can’t do this show without you. Keep sending your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.

Immigration to the U.S. dropped dramatically in recent years as a result of the pandemic and policy at the border. That immigration slowdown translates into lost workers, and that workforce shortage has contributed to inflation. On today’s show, we look at why immigration is a labor story. Plus, unpacking the debt limit and the Fed’s messaging in the Weekly Wrap and revisiting the affordable housing crisis.

A big swing in the housing market occurred over the last year: for the vast majority of people, it’s now cheaper to rent a place than to own it. According to a new report, that’s in big part due to rising mortgage rates, which have risen in tandem with the Fed’s rate hikes. Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, is stepping down — he helped transform the company from a mail-order DVD service to a streaming behemoth. Christopher Low helps break down what’s behind the recent strength of bond yields. And, the Sundance Film Festival is back in person after two years of being virtual because of the pandemic.

Harvard Medical School, one of the top in the country, will stop submitting data to the U.S. News and World Report college ranking system. It’s another blow for the rankings, which has recently come under criticism from a number of high-profile schools for alleged flaws in the methodology. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced that it would lay off 12,000 workers, making it the latest tech giant to announce job cuts. And, the high-flying Davos summit wraps up today amid a mix of optimism and caution for coming year.

From the BBC World Service: The fight over a controversial coal mine in Germany isn’t over according to one of the country’s best-known climate activists Luisa Neubauer. She tells us how mining cannot be justified, even in the context of an energy crisis in Europe triggered by Russia’s war with Ukraine. Plus, the demise of British Volt, once the UK’s great hope for the future of the auto industry. And millions are on the move in Asia for the Lunar New Year.

Images created by artificial intelligence programs, like Stable Diffusion and DALL-E, are just about everywhere now, dazzling users with their ability to instantly create any image that can be dreamed up. The AI works by scraping billions of images from the internet, which are often created by artists who may not be thrilled that their life’s work is helping to build technology that could threaten their livelihoods. Steven Zapata, a designer, illustrator and art teacher in New York City, has concerns about what this means. It makes no sense, he told Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino, that these machine-learning systems may go on to compete with the creators whose work the models trained on. He also believes that an ethical version of these artmaking systems can be developed and would be valuable.

The guy who’s now running FTX, the imploded cryptocurrency exchange founded by now-indicted Sam Bankman-Fried, said he’s considering reopening shop. Too soon? Also, mortgage rates are coming down, but all the commotion about the debt ceiling could undo that. And, guest host Amy Scott makes us smile with a video of celebrities reenacting conversations on Nextdoor, the neighborhood social networking platform.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Mortgage Rates Fall as Services Sector Contracts” from Zillow Research

• • Mortgage Rates from Freddie Mac

• • “New FTX Chief Says Crypto Exchange Could Restart” from The Wall Street Journal

• • Union membership rate in 2022 hit all-time low despite Starbucks, Amazon efforts from Axios

• • Debt ceiling cartoon from @newyorkercartoons on Instagram

• • Tweet from @JimmyKimmelLive of “Nextdoor Theatre” video

Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap. The YouTube livestream will be back! 6:30 ET/3:30 PT. There will be drinks, news and a round of Half Full / Half Empty.