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PODCAST

Tech Life

BBC World Service

Tech Life discovers and explains the ways technology is changing our lives, wherever we are in the world. We meet the people with bright ideas for rethinking the way we work, learn and play, and get hands-on with the products they dream up. We hold tech giants to account for their huge power to affect our lives, and ask who wins, and who loses, in the technology transformation. Tech Life is your guide to a future being made, and remade, at lightning speed in front of our eyes.

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All Episodes

26:28

Web-scraping bots

Tech Life ·

2025/10/28

We look at the impact data-scraping robots from AI firms are having on the online encyclopedia used by hundreds of millions of people. Also in this edition of Tech Life: if you work in the fashion industry, if you are a fashion model, are you worried about AI ? A lot are, and we find out why. And how do we prevent children from seeing online adult content ? Many parts of the world are requiring sites to verify the ages of their users. Now the biggest adult site argues that we need a better

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26:28

Red lines for AI

Tech Life ·

2025/10/21

More than 200 prominent individuals and 70 organisations want international agreement on 'do not cross' red lines for artificial intelligence, to prevent risks to humanity. We speak to Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at the University of California in Berkeley, who is backing the call. He spells out some of the potential risks that AI could pose to us all, and says global agreement on AI red lines is the solution.Also on Tech Life this week: We look at how artificial intelligence is

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26:29

Drones with Tasers

Tech Life ·

2025/10/14

We speak to the founder and CEO of Axon Enterprise, maker of the Taser, about the tech's future. And the future includes drones armed with Tasers.Also in this edition of Tech Life: why an underwater glider is circumnavigating the globe, gathering data on the oceans. And find out why the quantum computing revolution could arrive sooner than expected.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A close-up photo of a Taser being aimed. Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

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26:29

Class action

Tech Life ·

2025/10/07

A class action lawsuit is underway in Italy against Meta and TikTok. Lawyers say they want to protect younger children from social media harm. We look at the issues.Also in Tech Life this week, we have another story about social media. It's about farmers in Africa, so-called agri-influencers, and how they're cultivating an online movement. Shiona McCallum tests a new maritime AI communication system. And a Japanese tech company is trying to eradicate malaria using drones.Presenter: Shiona

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26:42

Pinterest boss on online safety

Tech Life ·

2025/09/30

An exclusive interview with Bill Ready, boss of social media platform Pinterest. Plus – what is actually stolen in a cyber-attack, the end of dial-up and are AI pets the future?Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones(Image: A phone with the red Pinterest logo on it. Credit: Getty Images)

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26:30

Can we trust AI in health?

Tech Life ·

2025/09/23

We hear from experts on the pros and cons of using AI in the healthcare world. Plus ex-Minecraft YouTuber Stampy, AKA Joseph Garrett, on turning to game design. But are console games getting too expensive? And the students from India whose innovative renewable energy tech has won a prestigious award.This week's Tech Life was presented by Shiona McCallum and produced by Imran Rahman-Jones. Our editor is Monica Soriano.(Image: A stethoscope with a small screen on it, shown a person's heart rate at 76

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26:29

Keeping connected

Tech Life ·

2025/09/16

This week we're talking about connectivity. How to keep the internet running when international data cables are damaged by earthquakes or war. And are light beams a solution ?Also this week: Satellites and AI are being used to count migrating wildebeest in Africa. We hear how tech is challenging long-standing estimates of animal numbers.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of many fibre optic cables emitting bright light against a dark background. Credit: Getty Images)

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26:29

Sailing into stormy seas

Tech Life ·

2025/09/09

A fleet of small robotic sailboats, packed with sensors, are ready to sail into the path of storms, to gather data on developing hurricanes. We find out how they'll do it. The data will help experts predict where a hurricane might reach land, giving people time to prepare and evacuate.Also on Tech Life this week: we're at Europe's biggest tech show to find out what the next big thing might be. We speak to a Tech Life listener in Zambia who is teaching children about robotics and coding. And rented

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26:28

Talking translation

Tech Life ·

2025/09/02

We test the AI tech that offers live language translation on the telephone. India bans online money games. And AI in the workplace - a global study looks at who uses it, and why.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of a young woman speaking into a smartphone. Credit: pocketlight/Getty Images)

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26:30

What happens when you lose your social media?

Tech Life ·

2025/08/26

For months, we have been hearing from people all over the world who say they have been unfairly banned from their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Meta has, so far, said nothing publicly about what’s going on. Plus, we chart the rise and fall of an American tech giant, and the author of Empire of AI, Karen Hao, tells us what she thinks the industry gets wrong.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: An illustration of a mobile phone with barbed wire

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26:31

Tech and performance at the Edinburgh Festivals

Tech Life ·

2025/08/19

A special from Edinburgh, where art and performance meet tech with spectacular results. Including a magician with robot assistants, an AI improv group and an electrifying dance act.Every August, Edinburgh becomes the centre of the arts world, with half a million visitors and thousands of acts descending on the Scottish capital. Among these are performers using some pioneering tech, asking questions about the role of AI in our lives and even a choreographer stimulating his dancers’ muscles with

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26:29

Dealing with cyber attacks

Tech Life ·

2025/08/12

Singapore is experiencing an increase in cyber threats, and its critical infrastructure was targeted in a cyber attack. We speak to the country's Commissioner of Cybersecurity.Also in Tech Life this week: we hear the real voice of a fake spokesperson for a synthetic band. And presenter Zoe Kleinman has a mini tech adventure involving social media and a metal detectorist.You can contact us by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Please include

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26:29

What happened to DeepSeek?

Tech Life ·

2025/08/05

China’s DeepSeek took the AI world by storm this year. Where is it now? Plus the AI doomsday scenario capturing the imagination of the tech world. How seriously should we take it? And the future of driving with Volvo’s tech lead.Presenter: Graham FraserProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: A hand holding a phone with the blue and white Deepseek whale logo on it. In the background is the red flag of China. Credit: Getty Images)

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26:28

Your AI servant

Tech Life ·

2025/07/29

Imagine a world in which AI servants are at your beck and call. They work for you, shop for you, book your travel and help organise your family life. It's called Agentic AI. And it's coming. A senior figure at Amazon tells us how they see AI agents changing our lives.Also this week on Tech Life: Kenya's plastic waste problem is being turned into a 3D-printed teaching solution. And a charity is helping to save animals from extinction by freezing their cells.We enjoy reading your messages about tech

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26:29

Can sewage make tech cleaner ?

Tech Life ·

2025/07/22

Thousands of tonnes of excess sewage, manure, food waste and paper sludge are being pumped hundreds of meters underground in the USA, where it will stay for centuries, preventing greenhouse gases from being released. Microsoft is backing the method to help offset carbon emissions. We speak to the co-founder and CEO of Vaulted Deep.Also on Tech Life: We sound out some in the music industry about the impact of generative AI. And a high altitude Tech Life listener tells us about the time his tech went

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26:29

Quantum question time

Tech Life ·

2025/07/15

We step inside a quantum computer lab to answer your questions about technology that promises to revolutionise everything from particle physics to fertiliser production.Also this week on Tech Life: lots of us upload and download large quantities of data, and the expectation is that the demand for data will only increase in the future. How will our current networks cope ? The solution travels at the speed of light.And how do you teach AI to speak in different accents ? We find out.We enjoy reading

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26:29

AIs on the road

Tech Life ·

2025/07/08

This week on Tech Life, we speak to the company behind an AI safe driving device that's fitted to thousands of delivery vans and fleet vehicles around the world. Using cameras and an onboard AI system, it assesses how safely a vehicle is being driven. And it warns both the driver, and their manager, if it spots a serious safety risk inside or outside the vehicle.Also this week, we find out about cargo drones parachuting humanitarian aid into parts of central Africa. And what can children tell us

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26:28

The future of the internet is up for debate

Tech Life ·

2025/07/01

The way the internet will operate in the future is being discussed at the moment. Will it remain as it is now, or could governments become more involved and take more control ? We speak to ICANN, one of the technical institutions which help to keep the internet functioning, about their concerns.Also this week: the man behind one of the most popular websites in the world talks to Tech Life. And we hear from the award-winning teenage inventor of a toxic dust detector.We enjoy reading your messages

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26:29

Digital twin cities

Tech Life ·

2025/06/24

What are the advantages of creating a digital mirror of a city – or an entire island? We speak to a company making digital twins to create simulations of the real world. Then we hear from a real set of twins about their award-winning carbon capture project. And the company sending tiny satellites into space to help environmental researchers.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: A graphic of a person's hand holding a mini city on its fingertips. Credit:

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26:28

Tackling illegal mining with tech

Tech Life ·

2025/06/17

This week on Tech Life, we're looking at the problems caused by illegal gold mining in Ghana. We'll hear how drones, AI and GPS trackers are being used to tackle the trade.Also this week, Meta goes to court as it battles ads for so-called Nudifying apps. Is "I don't know" the solution to AI chatbot hallucinations ? And the pay-as-you-cook stove that's winning awards and improving health in Africa.We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to

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