AI & vaccines; TikTok vs YouTube; HBO Max

Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, provides his perspective on technology in the age of the coronavirus pandemic:

How is A.I. being used to fast track the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Well, it's not really. There's great promise that one day A.I. can be the tool we use to read massive numbers of papers across disciplines, to project the way different molecules will interact, to decide which protein would make for a great vaccine candidate, but we're a ways off from that. A.I. has been useful to Moderna in part of their vaccine work, but most of the most important vaccine work is being done by smart humans.

What is going on with TikTok in India? Is this a sign that the app will go the way of Vine?

So, the TikTok users are mad at YouTube users, who are mad at TikTok users, who have really reduced the rating in the app store. It's kind of a funny squabble. I'm sure TikTok doesn't like it. TikTok is not going away, though. It's way too big.

HBO Max is launching. Do I need to sign up for yet another streaming platform?

If you love "Deadwood," yes. Otherwise, I'm not sure. There's some good stuff on it. There's also some good stuff on Apple. There's some good stuff on Disney. There's some good stuff on Quibi. There's good stuff all over the place. Sign up for one or two and keep watching my videos.