“Virtual power plants” enlist users in producing electricity and balancing supply and demand. But there’s no tech fix for getting people to sign up, as Rice University’s Daniel Cohan explains.

Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission held its first roundtable discussion on whether cryptocurrency should be regulated as a financial asset. Axios’ Brady Dale explains why that’s such a complicated question to answer.

Neuroscience researcher Ziv Ben-Zion says even though the bots don’t have emotions, they can simulate a person’s responses because they’re trained on human data. They may play a role in psychotherapy, and meditation seems to help them chill out.

A supermajority at BlueOval SK, a $6 billion joint venture between Ford and South Korea’s SK On, has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on joining the UAW. The union hopes the region is fertile ground for organizing.  

Christina Farr, managing director at Manatt Health, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Changing geopolitics have students thinking about national security and helping the little guys, says writer and alum Jasmine Sun. Some just need a job.

Lesley Carhart, a director of incident response at cybersecurity firm Dragos, explains that criminals are using ransomware to threaten victims, including companies, with embarrassment. To some extent, it’s a response to better data protection.

A lot of young consumers use digital payment apps like Venmo and Zelle to send, spend and save money. Yanely Espinal of Marketplace’s “Financially Inclined” podcast shares tips on how to use them safely.

Claire Bryan, education reporter at The Seattle Times, coauthored a recent investigation looking at surveillance tech in schools. She found that most devices were tracking students 24/7.