In this episode of the Future Tech & Policy (FTP) Podcast, we explore more into the recent (and sudden) AI agent craze through OpenClaw and other tools and Zach shares lessons learned from his own OpenClaw experiments. We also look at the recent changes to Instagram's use of end-to-end encryption in direct messaging between users, and the use of fine-grained geographic data generated by players in the widely used Pokémon Go game.

Links to articles discussed

- Meta just bought the social network for AI bots everyone’s been talking about (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/10/tech/meta-moltbook-bots-social-media

- Turns out your Pokémon Go data will be used to train robots (Polygon)
https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-go-data-ai-robots-niantic/

- Your Instagram DMs are no longer encrypted: Meta is reversing course on privacy and removing end-to-end encryption from Instagram (Fortune)
https://fortune.com/2026/03/17/tiktok-meta-no-privacy-controls-why-explainer/

Panelists

- Zachary McDowell, Associate Professor, Communication, University of Illinois Chicago
https://comm.uic.edu/profiles/zachary-mcdowell/

- Jeremy Riel (Host), Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago & IGPA Science and Technology Working Group Co-Lead
https://education.uic.edu/profiles/riel-jeremy/

- Gagandeep Singh, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign & IGPA Science and Technology Working Group Co-Lead
https://siebelschool.illinois.edu/about/people/faculty/ggnds

About The FTP Podcast

The FTP podcast brings together a panel of interdisciplinary faculty experts across the University of Illinois System to discuss trends and news from recent weeks in tech and policy while looking toward the future. Produced by the Science and Technology Working Group, Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), University of Illinois System.

https://igpa.uillinois.edu

All opinions expressed on the FTP Podcast are those of the individual panelists and not the opinions of the University of Illinois System, The Institute of Government and Public Affairs, or the three UI universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, or Springfield.

Ep. 7 - AI Agents and Crustacean-Themed Apps, Geo Data for AI Training, and End-to-End Encryption