When I reported my "CBS Sunday Morning" story about the AI panic last week, I kept thinking about my conversation with Daniel Kokotajlo, who quit OpenAI when he became alarmed at its recklessness. Today, he's one of the clearest, most thoughtful AI thinkers. Here's a transcript of that interview.

“The Anteaters Can’t Do Anything”: Daniel Kokotajlo on AI’s Future

Interview with a guy whose job is contemplating the endgame

pogueman.substack.com

HEY NEW JERSEY! Come say hello! I'll be at the Morristown Book Fair on Saturday, Oct 10, at 10am... with my "Apple: The First 50 Years" road show--and I'll sing some new, live song parodies! morristownbooks.org/2026-authors/

My new “Pogue’s Posts” column today: 24 hours of triumphs and failures in the life of using Siri AI. A real-world journal, to give you an idea of what life is like when you rarely even open apps.

A Day in the Life of Siri AI

24 hours of ingenious AI triumphs and failures

pogueman.substack.com

On "CBS Sunday Morning" today: Here's my deep dive on AI apocalypse. Why would AI want to eliminate humans? How? And where do we stand with adopting safeguards? www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW2G... (Outside the U.S.: CBSSundayMorning.com.)

AI risks: Will artificial intelligence really kill us all?

YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

youtube.com

Alright folks. Reading this column is simply the best use of your time. I guarantee you'll find some very useful techniques that will make you far more productive.

David Pogue@davidpogue.bsky.social · 3w ago

For today's “Pogue’s Posts" column, I tested the new AI Siri. HARD. It missed a few out of my 125 tasks—but some of its triumphs were jaw-dropping. If you can get into the habit of using Siri, you'll do a lot less opening apps, scrolling around, and wasting time.

For today's “Pogue’s Posts" column, I tested the new AI Siri. HARD. It missed a few out of my 125 tasks—but some of its triumphs were jaw-dropping. If you can get into the habit of using Siri, you'll do a lot less opening apps, scrolling around, and wasting time.

125 Tests of the New AI Siri

Spoiler: It’s a phone-changer.

pogueman.substack.com

Season 2 of @birdsandnerds.bsky.social starts now! First up: @davidpogue.bsky.social joins @ramonawritesla.bsky.social to talk about Apple's first 50 years and what #Apple is doing about #AI and #privacy. 🐦Also, the internet #bird story that started on his front porch. Links in bio. Sneak peek here!

This summer, iceberg lettuce made people sick in 49 states. In the panic, people stopped eating salads—and restaurants like Chopt were caught in the crossfire. Today's “Pogue’s Posts”: a video interview with Chopt's founders, who look back at the crisis. pogueman.substack.com/p/bummer-of-...

“Bummer of a Summer”: Interview with the Chopt Salad founders

Watch now | How the salad chain got caught in the Cyclospora crossfire

pogueman.substack.com

Today, I joined @NPR.org's "@Marketplace.org" to tell a crazy story: How a stranger offered to sell me a 100-year-old photo album that my grandmother put together when she was 20 years old—and how it made its way home through the decades. It's here: www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...

Inside the business of selling people their own family photo albums

David Pogue’s sister received an odd email from someone who had their grandmother’s photo album. It exposed him to a world of people buying and selling lost family albums.

marketplace.org

Today in “Pogue’s Posts” (free and ad-free): A guest post by Del Yocam, Apple's first COO. He's got some great insight into Steve Jobs's lasting Achilles' heel: His insistence on closed systems. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Steve Jobs, Closed Macs, and Me: A Guest Post

by Del Yocam, former Apple chief operating officer

substack.com

This year marks the 15th anniversary of "Book of Mormon" on Broadway. Today, I present a departure from my usual column topics: an interview with the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker ("South Park") and double EGOT winner Bobby Lopez ("Frozen," "Avenue Q")!

“The Book of Mormon” at 15: The Interview

My conversation with Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Bobby Lopez

pogueman.substack.com

Here's my cover story for "CBS Sunday Morning" today: The explosion of ticks in the U.S.—and the new(ish) disease alpha-gal syndrome, which gives you a violent allergy to MEAT (beef, pork, lamb, veal, etc.). I will never again walk in nature without the special socks! youtu.be/LTomL0S8wgM

The explosion of ticks and Alpha-gal syndrome

YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

youtu.be

Last week, on a ship off the coast of Spain, I watched a total solar eclipse—followed by an eclipse SUNSET—followed by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Somehow, there's enough left of my brain to write a column about it. substack.com/inbox/post/2...

My Total Eclipse Sunset

A cosmic spectacle in three acts

substack.com

I watched this week's eclipse from a Scientific American cruise ship off the coast of Spain. The eclipse was staggering—but it was only Act 1. We then watched as the CRESCENT SUN sank into the ocean!! It was so sci-fi, so mind-frying...

MacVoices #26232: Briefing - Why @davidpogue.bsky.social's 'Apple: The First 50 Years' Is Worth Experiencing Twice macvoices.com/macvoices-26...

MacVoices #26232: Briefing - Why David Pogue's 'Apple: The First 50 Years' Is Worth Experiencing Twice — MacVoices

David Pogue’s authoring style turns Apple: The First 50 Years turns what could have been names and dates into a richly illustrated journey through Apple’s s ...

macvoices.com

In April, I got a strange email, inviting me to buy a 105-year-old photo album supposedly created by my grandmother. It had "SCAM" written all over it—but it was actually something much weirder. My story for New York Magazine. nymag.com/intelligence...

The Strange Business of Selling People Their Own Family’s Lost Photos

This online niche sometimes feels like a scam. Is it?

nymag.com

76 years ago, Ray Bradbury published "There Will Come Soft Rains," an apocalyptic short story about a time when we have wiped ourselves out—but our AI obliviously continues automating our empty smart homes. Bradbury set the story on August 4, 2026. www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_...

In my column today, I reviewed Amazon's witless, half-baked Alexa+ AI service, which gets it right about half the time. May you find entertainment in my tech suffering! pogueman.substack.com/p/alexa-is-a...

Alexa+ is a buggy embarrassment

Amazon's home AI is ambitious, rushed, and halfway there.

pogueman.substack.com

Today, "CBS Sunday Morning" re-ran one of my favorite stories this year. It attempts to answer the immortal question: Is your phone secretly listening to you? You'll probably hate the answer.

Does your phone eavesdrop on you?

YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

youtu.be

Here's my "CBS Sunday Morning" story today about this summer's cyclospora outbreaks on lettuce--and why decades of FDA and CDC budget cuts (especially lately) are contributing to so many people getting sick. youtu.be/e4dmkz--2YA?...

How Trump admin cuts have compromised food safety

YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

youtu.be

Why did an American gate agent lie about the overhead bins being full—when they were 80% empty? In my new column, an airline pilot, a baggage specialist, and a gate manager explain the real reason behind the deception. pogueman.substack.com/p/why-they-r...

Why they really check carry-on bags—when the overhead bins are empty

Stop lying, American.

pogueman.substack.com

Today's free “Pogue’s Posts” column: Our eyes are horizontal. Our phones are vertical. Handling that mismatch has meant shrinkage, letterbox bars, and awkwardness. Now AI can turn portrait into landscape—and the aspect-ratio problem has become an ethical one. pogueman.substack.com/p/can-ai-fix...

Can AI Fix the Portrait vs. Landscape Problem?

Because right now, it's a freakin' nightmare.

pogueman.substack.com

In today's free “Pogue’s Posts” column: Feature requests that my readers submitted earlier this week... all of which are ALREADY IN THEIR SOFTWARE. Plus, to lend perspective: an interview with Microsoft's chief design officer. He confirms: simple is hard. pogueman.substack.com/p/microsofts...

Microsoft’s Design Chief: Simple is Hard

Plus: Apple features you asked for—that already exist

pogueman.substack.com

Apple has said that a primary goal of OS 27, this fall, is simply fixing bugs. And so, trying to be helpful, I asked You, the People, to submit your own bugs for Apple to fix. My new “Pogue’s Posts” column presents the result of that experiment. pogueman.substack.com/p/10-bugs-th...

10 Bugs that Apple Has 3 Months to Fix

Although lots of your bugs aren't actually bugs.

pogueman.substack.com

My "CBS Sunday Morning" story today: The transcontinental railroad wasn't quite the romantic story we learned in school. But after a generation of debugging, it delivered much more than freight. youtu.be/QVkANPWJpPs?...

How trains drove American history

YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning

youtu.be

My new weekly column is free (and ad-free). Today: Thanks to bad interface design, a guy walked in on me when my pants were down. pogueman.substack.com/p/why-a-guy-...

Why a Guy Walked In On Me in the Men’s Room

Interface design matters.

pogueman.substack.com

I wonder if it occurred to the NY Times's photographer that the Apple Watch can't measure your health data if it's worn (a) over two layers of clothing, and (b) on your ankle.

Now THIS is a first... my book "Apple: The First 50 Years" became the inspiration for a middle-school graduation speech! youtu.be/77fLTQbHn4Y?...

Saxe Promotion Ceremony - June 18th, 2026

YouTube video by NCTV 78

youtu.be

Last week was the 50th anniversary of the National Spelling Bee, where I represented Ohio—and it was a catastrophe. Here's my new “Pogue’s Posts” post, telling the story. pogueman.substack.com/p/my-spellin...

My Spelling-Bee Trauma: The First 50 Years

Two minutes at the 1976 National Spelling Bee

pogueman.substack.com

I made a trailer for my LA bookstore visit next week (Monday, 6/22)! Come on by! Ticket price includes an autographed copy (and a photo, if you want). stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...