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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

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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26:29

China's booming EV industry

Tech Life ·

2025/06/10

We hear from inside China on the remarkably fast electric vehicle transition going on there, as the country moves away from petrol and diesel-powered cars and lorries. BBC Transport Correspondent Nick Marsh reports on the latest EV technology that's making Chinese brands popular and affordable.Also on Tech Life this week, who has the fastest computer in the world ? And what is it used for ? An expert tells us everything we need to know about supercomputers. And we find out about a new piece of tech

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26:29

Data and me

Tech Life ·

2025/06/03

What happens when a company we trust with our most personal data gets into financial trouble ? We hear from a woman who trusted a US company with her genetic information.Also on Tech Life this week, will there be enough electricity for the demands of artificial intelligence ? The International Energy Agency tells us about the challenges of powering the AI boom. And we find out how to grow an island in The Maldives. The tech involved could protect low-lying territories from erosion and rising sea

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26:29

The digital afterlife business

Tech Life ·

2025/05/27

This week we're looking at a growing digital industry which allows people to interact - in a way - with the likeness or the voice of someone they care about who has passed away. It's not science fiction, and it does involve AI chatbots.Also on Tech Life this week, we'll be finding out about two tech solutions to the problem of food which goes to waste. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane explores the challenge of making a Formula 1 racing car more eco friendly. And what is digital art ?We enjoy reading your

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26:29

Protecting your invention

Tech Life ·

2025/05/20

This week we're learning about patents - what they are, and who wants one. And by analysing the global demand for patents, we can see future trends in tech.Also in this edition of Tech Life, what are doctors and patients around the world saying about the use of artificial intelligence in hospitals ? And we'll be finding out about Google's latest injection of AI into online search.We enjoy reading the messages being sent in about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell

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26:29

The impact of online abuse

Tech Life ·

2025/05/13

An international study looks at the online experiences of young people from marginalised groups, including sex workers, gay and transgender people, and people living with HIV. It concludes they are facing a surge in online abuse. We speak to Phong from Vietnam about his experience, then hear about the study from the lead researcher.Also on Tech Life this week, find out how a drone company in Ghana has benefited from US foreign aid cuts. And how could catching the bus help improve your posture ?We

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26:29

What you don’t see

Tech Life ·

2025/05/06

Luckily much of what we see on social media is safe. But somewhere, somebody has to watch all the horrific content uploaded online in order to filter it out for the general public. We speak to a former moderator who worked on Meta platforms in Ghana. Plus, the community project in Puerto Rico with an innovative way of keeping its power on. And we say goodbye to video call program Skype.(Warning – this episode includes some distressing content and a reference to suicide.)Presenter: Chris

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26:29

Weighing the world's forests

Tech Life ·

2025/04/29

A groundbreaking space mission will help scientists peer through dense jungle canopy to measure the difference the world's forests are making to climate change. We interview the expert who came up with the idea.Also on Tech Life: It's clicked billions of times a day, but do you know how it started in the first place ? We find out why the world gave a big thumbs up to the 'like' button. And digitising agriculture in Ghana - how tech is streamlining the growing and selling process for thousands of

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26:29

Talking dolphin

Tech Life ·

2025/04/22

Do dolphins have their own language ? And could we 'speak' to them ? An AI large language model from Google, called DolphinGemma, is helping experts study dolphin communication. We interview Doctor Denise Herzing, the Research Director and founder of the Wild Dolphin Project, about her work and how it might bring benefits for humans and dolphins.Also in this edition, we find out how tech is changing the way NFL fans watch football games, and mega-batteries are helping to keep the lights on.Tell us

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26:29

AI discrimination

Tech Life ·

2025/04/15

This week we're looking at artificial intelligence and how it can discriminate against us, affecting our chances of getting work or being approved for a loan. What causes it ? On the flip side - could it be AI to the rescue ? We learn about a computer model that predicts the behaviour of people who go missing. Could it help emergency services find those lost in the wilderness ?And Tech Life's gaming expert gets hands-on with the new Nintendo Switch 2.You can tell us about the one item of tech that

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26:29

Beyond the tip of the iceberg

Tech Life ·

2025/04/08

Tech Life looks at icebergs. Climate change means there are more of them in our oceans, breaking away and slowly melting. Scientists need to study them - but how ? We speak to an expert about robotic gliders, which are opening up new research opportunities.Also in this edition, can we trust artificial intelligence ? One of its problems is that it hallucinates, so we find out more about it.How can tech help people who are blind or partially sighted watch TV ?And our reporter gets his hands dirty

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26:29

Jamming and spoofing

Tech Life ·

2025/04/01

Tech Life looks at satellite navigation and the increase in cases of signal interference. How could this affect shipping and aviation safety, and what can be done about it ?Also in this edition, what digital material of cultural significance should be stored for the future ? A volunteer project is improving Wikipedia's photographs. And we find out about efforts to harness the power of the moon on the Faroe Islands.Tell us about the one bit of tech you use in your life everyday – get in touch by

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26:29

Living life with a mind-reading chip

Tech Life ·

2025/03/25

What is it like to live with a computer chip in your brain ? Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive a device from Elon Musk's neurotechnology firm, Neuralink. Noland tells the BBC about his operation to implant the chip, how he can control a computer with his thoughts, and how it has improved his life.Also on Tech Life this week, we explore a crypto solution to an electricity problem in rural Zambia, and look at one attempt to tackle the tricky subject of copyright and AI.Tell us about

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26:29

Archiving achievement

Tech Life ·

2025/03/18

A former US Air Force engineer found articles about her were removed from the internet, on US government instructions. She tells us why she wants to archive them for the future. Then, we go inside Africa’s biggest tech market. Plus, the blind astronomer who listens to space. And quantum computers may be on the verge of a breakthrough. We explain why this matters.Tell us about the one bit of tech you use in your life everyday – get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp on +44

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