Hard Fork: Tech grapples with ICE, Moltbot A.I. assistant and HatGPT

On Jan. 30, 2026, The New York Times podcast Hard Fork, hosted by technology columnist Kevin Roose, published an episode that examines recent tech news, including industry reactions to law-enforcement actions and new developments in A.I.

The episode discusses the tech industry’s response to the killings by federal agents in Minneapolis and the federal government’s strategy to control the narrative on social media, as described in the episode summary.

Hosts follow Casey through his trial of a new open-source A.I. assistant called Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) and consider whether using the assistant is worth the potential security risk, according to the episode notes.

The show also includes a roundup of the week’s other tech stories in a segment called HatGPT, offering listeners a broader look at current developments in the field.

The episode description notes these topics but does not state definitive conclusions about the issues discussed, including whether Moltbot’s benefits outweigh its security concerns; listeners must hear the episode for the hosts’ full analysis.

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