How AI will change phones — and the whole internet

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode opens with Vergecast schedule and show-notes changes, then features a long interview with Browser Company CEO Josh Miller about Arc/ArcSearch and the push to reinvent browsing with AI, followed by a review discussion of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup with Allison Johnson, and ends with advice on whether to shoot spatial video on iPhone without a Vision Pro. Across the show, the hosts explore how AI is reshaping search, browsers, phones, and user behavior.

Main Topics: Vergecast format and publishing changes: David Pierce explains the move to Tuesday/Friday publishing, expanded show notes on The Verge, and upcoming YouTube changes, framing it as an effort to cover news faster and improve the listening experience. ArcSearch and the Browser Company’s vision for the web: Josh Miller argues that browsers should evolve from general-purpose search and page loaders into dynamic interfaces that understand user intent, browse the web for you, and merge search, web pages, and AI-generated summaries into one experience. AI’s impact on the web’s value exchange and publishing: The conversation wrestles with the tension between AI tools that speed up access to information and the way they may break existing incentives for publishers, creators, and ad-supported web models. Interface design and behavior change in AI products: The interview focuses on why text boxes and chatbots are not necessarily the future, how ArcSearch uses summaries, links, verified quotes, videos, and function calling, and why the browser can become the key layer that avoids behavior change for users. Samsung Galaxy S24 review and the rise of mobile AI: Allison Johnson reviews the S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra, concluding that the base S24 may be the best overall Android phone this year, while the Ultra’s standout features are hardware improvements and a large dose of AI features with mixed real-world value. Spatial video advice for non–Vision Pro users: The hotline segment advises that users without plans to buy Vision Pro should keep shooting normal video as their default, using spatial video as an optional extra rather than the main capture format.

Key Arguments: ArcSearch represents the Browser Company’s core thesis: browsers should understand user intent and do the work of browsing, rather than forcing users to search, click, and navigate manually. AI is both useful and disruptive: it can reduce friction and clutter for users, but it also challenges the value exchange that has sustained the web’s advertising and publishing ecosystem. Browser companies and operating systems are the only software categories positioned to deliver an AI-driven future because they have user context, app access, and daily engagement. Google search is still powerful, but much of the user journey after search results is inefficient; Arc aims to remove those steps by delivering answers and destinations directly. Samsung’s Galaxy AI features are interesting and sometimes genuinely useful, but they are not yet strong enough to be decisive reasons to buy over competitors on their own. The Galaxy S24 base model is unusually compelling this year because it inherits most of the meaningful features of the larger phones at a much lower price. The Ultra’s anti-glare display is one of the clearest hardware improvements in the lineup, potentially more impactful than several AI features. Spatial video is a real format with a future, but it should be considered supplementary capture for now unless a user expects to own a headset soon.

Data Points: Vergecast publishing schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays - Announcement that the show will now publish twice weekly instead of on a Wednesday-centered cadence. ArcSearch webpage reading count: 6 web pages - During the example query about the Grammys, ArcSearch says it is reading six sources before generating a page. Galaxy S24 base price: $799 - The base S24 is framed as offering the strongest value in the lineup. Galaxy S24 Ultra price: $1,299 - The Ultra is described as being $100 more than the prior year’s model. Ultra price increase: $100 - The S24 Ultra costs $100 more than last year’s Ultra. LinkedIn Ads credit offer: $250 spend for $250 credit - Sponsor offer mentioned in the ad read. LinkedIn audience size: Over 1 billion professionals - Advertiser data cited for LinkedIn Ads. LinkedIn decision makers: 130 million - Advertiser data cited for LinkedIn Ads. Zapier company usage: 3.4 million companies - Sponsor copy states millions of companies already automate with Zapier. Spatial video size: About twice the size of a normal 1080p video - Advice on whether to shoot spatial video on iPhone without planning to buy Vision Pro. Vision Pro video capability: 4K video off the iPhone - Compared with spatial video, regular 4K video is recommended as the default capture format.

Pivotal Quotes: "the next operating system is right in front of our eyes. It’s going to look more like a web browser." — Josh Miller: Miller explains the Browser Company’s foundational thesis about the web replacing traditional OS-style interfaces. "for the first time, computers can read." — Josh Miller: He summarizes why AI changes the interface problem: systems can now understand user intent and route actions. "the base Galaxy S24 is the best Galaxy phone for most people right now" — David Pierce: Pierce’s concluding framing of the S24 review conversation with Allison Johnson.

Implications: The episode suggests AI’s biggest effect may be less about chatbots and more about reworking browsers, phones, and operating systems into intent-driven tools. That could improve user experience while also destabilizing old web incentives and forcing publishers and platform makers to adapt.