The Eyes Have It: New High Tech Vision Research

Did you know that the cells in your eyes can "talk" to one another? Well, they can, according to some new research going on right now at the University of Akron. Listen now, and find out more from U-A Biology Chair, Dr. Jordan Renna. He's our special guest, on "This Week in Tech With Jeanne Destro".

This week, the business landscape in which big tech companies operate dramatically shifted, as juries in two different states awarded big monetary judgements to plaintiffs who alleged the social media giants Meta and Google were harming children. While the two cases—one in California, and the other; in New Mexico–were similar, they were not the same. So, to get some clarity on what was claimed in each, and how the juries made their decisions; I talked about it with University of Akron Visiting Law Professor, Jess Miers. Miers focuses on the intersection of law and technology,  has actually worked in the tech industry, and has done a great deal of research on issues including online speech, the federal law that has protected big tech from legal judgements for decades known as Section 230, AI, cybercrime, and more:

AI continues to stir controversy nationwide this week, as more communities, including some in Ohio, are pushing back against huge data centers that support AI, which use a lot of resources, but bring very few jobs to the communities in which they are located. In addition, despite all the hype about how great AI will be for efficiency and possible advances in many areas including science and medicine; there are growing concerns about job losses, with thousands already cut from big Tech companies like Meta, Amazon, Oracle, Pinterest, and eBay. There is also concern that the US Postal Service might run out of money in the next year, because of long-term, and expanding financial problems, exacerbated this week by the news that Amazon, which is their largest customer, is reducing the number of packages it plans to have delivered through USPS. We've also got a story about how analog vinyl records, which have become increasingly popular among young people raised in the digital age, are now smashing sales records going back decades. Listen now.

Why Anthropic is suing the US government, a solemn reminder of how even the most advanced technology is no match for Mother Nature, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's plea for protecting children from the harmful effects of technology. That's what's on tap in the latest edition of "This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro." Listen now.

As the US gears up for a possible military confrontation with Iran; the federal government has issued a warning for US companies and government agencies, to tighten up cyber defenses to ensure our networks here at home, can withstand possible state-sponsored cyber attacks. But though the current buildup of military force against Iran is fairly recent; our adversarial relationship with that country goes back many years, perhaps exemplified best by the release of the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran's nuclear program, in 2011. Listen now to find out more, and also what you can do right now, to harden your company or government agency’s defenses against persistent threats from Iran.

More smart traffic cameras, better coordinated Emergency response, and smoother bus rides are all on the way within the year, as Summit County's $50 million dollar, high speed broadband fiber ring network project nears completion. That's the word today from Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro's Chief of Staff, Brian Nelsen, who is our featured guest on this week's edition of This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro. Listen now for more information on how getting all of the county's governmental agencies and municipalities hooked up to high speed fiber is going to improve their operations, and what that means for you.

This week, we're featuring an in-depth discussion about the harm social media is doing to kids and teens; addiction, depression, anxiety, and in some cases—even suicide. It is in sharp focus now, because two separate lawsuits went to trial this week, alleging that the big companies running social media platforms, including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads), and Alphabet (YouTube), know that they are causing harm, and aren't doing enough to stop it. While the two suits are similar, they are not exactly the same, so we asked CBS News Tech Contributor, and former CNET Editor, Ian Sherr, to help us sort it all out. Listen now:

It was quite a week for news related to the world's richest man; Elon Musk, who announced he was merging X-AI with SpaceX, caused quite a stir on Wall Street, and simultaneously faced serious legal issues when French Prosecutors raided the X office in France. They are investigating allegations including complicity in possessing and spreading pornographic images of minors, and sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as denial of crimes against humanity such as the Holocaust.  But they are not alone. An investigation into Musk's AI tool, Grok, also launched in the UK where authorities are also concerned about the production of harmful sexualized videos and images. In addition , there are growing questions about what's next for Tesla, as Musk recently announced they're  discontinuing some Tesla models, so they focus more attention on building robots. To find out more about that; I had a conversation with CBS News Automotive industry expert, Jeff Gilbert.

We're covering some of the biggest stories in tech this week, including a big civil trial out in Los Angeles involving a teen who is suing big tech companies, alleging that social media addiction has severely damaged her mental health, AI technology that is helping consumers build even better custom playlists on Spotify, and big-name musical artists create new songs. It is also National Data Privacy Week, and we're getting some expert advice on how to better stay safe from scams and hackers, from the Superintendent of Financial Institutions for the Ohio Department of Commerce, Robert Rutkowski. Listen now:

Everybody, everywhere, it seems, wants you to "like" their product, podcast, delivery service, social media post, or whatever. But, did you ever stop to wonder, who actually invented the "Like" button? Well, business strategy expert and author, Martin Reeves did, and he turned what was supposed to be a short coffee conversation with Like button inventor, Bob Goodson, into a new book called  "Like: The Button that Changed The World". Listen now, as Reeves explains how that seemingly innocuous little "Like" button, has supercharged commerce, and changed society worldwide.