Loading...

PODCAST

The Artificial Human

Every day, we read something new about Artificial Intelligence - it"ll take our jobs, it"ll teach our kids, it knows more about us than we do ourselves... but how much of that is hype, and how much is, or will be reality? Part of our problem with AI is that it feels impenetrable and mysterious, especially when even those building it aren"t entirely sure how it works. In a new series, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out

science

All Episodes

29:16

Can AI be my new lab partner?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/10/07

Artificial intelligence is changing many aspects of our lives, but some of its most exciting possibilities are happening in the world of science. There have been lots of headlines about how artificial intelligence could transform this area, including curing disease, suggesting new drugs, and generating hypotheses at a speed no human could replicate.AI has been behind real scientific breakthroughs; it’s also running experiments round the clock in new autonomous labs, and even “AI scientists” are

en

29:13

Are we losing control of AI?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/10/01

The hacking of Medicare in Australia was the first time an autonomous AI deliberately breached a government system, and coming just months after the same company's agents gained unauthorised access to another AI business, Hugging Face, it throws fresh attention on the growing risks of cyber attacks from artificial intelligence. Artificial Human explores what happened in both these incidents and look at what it tells us about the future of hacking. Aleks Krotowski and Kevin Fong speak to Margaret

en

28:30

Are Gen Z Already Over AI?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/09/23

Concerns about jobs, the environment and concentrated power are driving many Gen Zers to see AI's downsides as outweighing its benefits. They're finding themsleves stuck between a rock and a hard place, on one hand they're being told they have to become AI literate if they're ever to get a job, while on the other concerned about how it might undermine their own ability to think. But this is the most digitally literate generation, they've seen the harm caused by social media and are rightly

en

29:12

When will robots have their Chat GPT moment?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/07/01

AI startups in New York are offering free home cleaning—as long as it’s okay to have everything filmed in order to train robots. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask: how far off is a ChatGPT moment for robotics?Robots are nothing new, and online you’ll find endless videos of cutting-edge machines doing everything from backflips to breakdancing. So with all the breakthroughs in other areas of AI, why aren’t we seeing robots on our streets and in our homes?We hear from Grace Shao in Hong Kong, who’s

en

29:19

Are we all AI hypocrites?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/06/29

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore a curious contradiction: why do we bristle at AI‑generated emails and writing, even while many of us quietly rely on them ourselves? What does this reveal about how we judge not only the output of these technologies, but the people who use them — while still excusing our own behaviour?To unpack this double standard, they begin with Katrina Collier, recruitment expert and author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter and Reboot Hiring. Nowhere is this tension more visible

en

28:36

Will AI replace the people who built it?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/06/17

Aleks and Kevin look beyond the headlines to uncover why Silicon Valley is seeing thousands of job losses across some of its biggest tech companies, as the industry pivots towards AI. What does this shift mean for entry-level roles that AI can now perform? And has the rise of “vibe coding” effectively eliminated the need for junior coders? Is this an early sign of AI taking over the very roles that built it?Aleks and Kevin speak to Alberta Devor, software engineer and tech content creator, about how

en

28:26

3. Can AI help us win the World Cup?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/06/10

The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, with England and Scotland heading overseas to play for their countries. FIFA has called it the most technologically advanced tournament yet, with all 48 teams given access to the same AI tools, designed to democratise elite football intelligence.So how will this year’s competition look, with every team now using AI as part of their training and strategy? And could it help us win the World Cup?We’ll be speaking to Stuart Fenton from Reading FC, the first

en

28:58

AI: War Machine?: 2. What's driving the military AI...

The Artificial Human ·

2026/05/27

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong examine the decisions shaping the adoption of military AI in the United States and beyond, asking whether governance is keeping pace — or whether responsibility is being left to the technology’s creators.A recent dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon revealed that commercial contracts, rather than clear policy, are helping to define how AI can be used by the military. But the disagreement was less about ethics than about timing, with the military pressing ahead to

en

29:09

AI: War Machine?: 1. Is AI transforming Warfare?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/05/27

The recent strikes in Iran were planned, executed and assessed with Ai. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong find out how Ai is transforming war and asking is the human still meaningfully in the loop?We hear from Keith Dear, ex-RAF intelligence officer and one of the first people to advise Number 10 on the potential of Ai for the military. He'll explain how Ai is being used in decision making in conflict and how its made compatible with international law. While Dr Elke Schwarz lays out the ethical

en

30:21

Is AI the future of Learning?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/03/04

As part of the BBC's AI Unpacked week Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong join an audience of pupils, teachers and education experts to ask if artificial intelligence is the future of learning.Recorded at University College London in their bicentennial year, the programme asks how we can use this revolutionary tool to equip the next generation for a future where Ai will be everywhere. The panel features Alex Russell, former head teacher and co‑founder of the charity AI in Education; Professor Sonia

en

28:36

Are Large Language Models a Dead End?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/02/25

Chat GPT, Gemini etc are most people's idea of artificial intelligence. But are the limitations of the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them an obstacle to achieving Ai that understand the world beyond what its learnt from the internet. That's increasingly the opinion of leading researchers who despite the industries fixation with LLMs are voting with their feet and setting up their own research labs to look at other ways to achieve Ai.Aleks and Kevin talk with Michael Woolridge, Professor

en

29:57

Is AI killing Search?

The Artificial Human ·

2026/02/18

Aleks and Kevin look at how Ai chatbots and summaries might kill the web as we know it. When people get all the answers they want from their AI, can the sites they've scraped for content survive if no one visits them? Sajeeda Merali of the professional publishers association discusses the challenges her members face. And the original disruptor of spreading information, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, talks about the reliance of Ai on the work of his legions of volunteer 'wikipedians' and why

en

28:51

AI's Bubble Trouble?: 3. If the bubble bursts, where...

The Artificial Human ·

2026/01/28

In the final instalment of our AI Bubble mini-series, Aleks and Kevin take a look at what it would mean if the AI bubble were to burst - not just for the industry, but for the future of AI itself.They’re joined by Adrian Lepers, Head of Monetization Operations and Strategy at Hugging Face. Sitting right at the centre of the open-source AI ecosystem, Adrian shares how Hugging Face sees its role in the market and how the industry could evolve from here.Also on the programme is Gary Marcus - cognitive

en

29:11

AI's Bubble Trouble?: 2. What are the consequences of...

The Artificial Human ·

2026/01/28

In part two of their exploration of the economics of Ai Aleks and Kevin ask, what are the consequences of the anticipated financial bubble bursting, and would a crash stop there? There's massive uncertainty over whether the Ai industry can make enough money to warrant the astronomical sums being invested, making 2026 a make-or-break year for the sector in the eyes of many experts. We're joined by Dame Diane Coyle economist at the University of Cambridge to look at how far the blast radius of an Ai

en

29:12

AI's Bubble Trouble?: 1. Is the AI bubble about to...

The Artificial Human ·

2026/01/28

Aleks and Kevin explore the biggest story in the Ai business. Markets are growing sceptical that the eye-watering sums being invested in Ai will show a return and comparisons with the dot-com crash are being widely made - so is the Ai bubble about to burst?Over the next three episodes we'll explore the Ai business landscape, look at the evidence for a bubble and consider the consequences of a 'major correction' to the valuation of the big players.Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin FongProducer:

en

29:11

Can AI do my Christmas shopping?

The Artificial Human ·

2025/10/29

Aleks and Kevin explore the world of Ai agents, artificial intelligence that can go out and act in the world on your behalf. And with festive season only weeks away, what they really want to know is could it do your Christmas shopping for you?They hear from Peter Cross, ex-customer experience director at John Lewis and Waitrose, and author of Start with the Consumer, about whether an Ai could ever be your personal shopper before finding out from human-computer interaction researcher Professor

en

29:02

Did AI Fuel the Charlie Kirk Rumour Mill

The Artificial Human ·

2025/10/22

Aleks & Kevin explore how people turned to Ai to solve Charlie Kirk's murder, enhancing grainy CCTV pictures or asking chatbots to help them investigate, but did it help or hinder?They're joined by Lauren Fichten and Julia Ingram from US broadcaster CBS; they watched in real time as the Ai generated content began to trickle in after the shooting finally reaching a frenzy of activity. They then turn to deep fake and misinformation expert Henry Ajder to understand the motivations of those so

en

29:14

Is AI dividing us politically?

The Artificial Human ·

2025/10/15

A report by the National Centre for Social research show that political orientation shapes attitudes toward AI technologies and their regulation. With people on the right more open to Ai while those on left are more sceptical. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore why that might be the case and whether it has implications for how quickly people adopt Ai tools.They speak to Helen Margetts from the Oxford Internet Institute about the research and what it tells us, before exploring with Thomas Ferretti

en

29:41

Why am I sad when my AI goes away?

The Artificial Human ·

2025/10/08

According to the Harvard Business Review companionship has become the number one use case for generative Ai. But what if the model gets updated and the Ai chum you've been confiding in and sharing your life with disappears? Who picks up the pieces and do the creators of these technologies be more careful?Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore the latest and most high-profile incident of this when Open Ai replaced GPT 4o with GPT 5. At a stroke, all personas that users had shaped their use and careful

en

29:09

Why is AI erasing people?

The Artificial Human ·

2025/10/01

For years disabled and marginalised communities have fought for representation in what we see in the media. Aleks and Kevin find out if AI risks undoing all those hard-won victories.Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin FongProducer: Peter McManus Sound: Sean Mullervy

en

52 results

Similar Podcasts

Rabbit Hole of Research

Jotham Austin, II PhD, Nick Elizalde,...

Show Me the Science with Luke O"Neill

Newstalk

Planetterrian Daily

Patrick · Nerra Network

Sleep Science

Sleep Science

BioSpace

BioSpace