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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.

technology tech news

All Episodes

26:27

A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story

Tech Life ·

2026/04/21

Pam Cronrath tells her deeply personal story of creating a lifelike speaking hologram of her husband, Bill, after he passed away. Pam wanted to honour a promise she'd made to Bill, for a "super wake". And so Bill's hologram appeared in front of two hundred guests at the event, and surprised them with a verbal greeting.Also this week: if you've had a knee operation and have a smart device monitoring your health, the doctor might want to see you now. And virtual glucose monitoring tech for diabetics -

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26:29

Sharing the road with driverless cars

Tech Life ·

2026/04/14

Chris Vallance finds out about research to help self-driving cars communicate with other road users. Hear what happened when he came into contact with a virtual vehicle!Also this week: you've probably seen the app on TV news recently, but how does MarineTraffic know which ships are doing what in the Strait of Hormuz? And Shiona McCallum checks out changes to Roblox age checks for children.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Illustration of a driverless car on a main road approaching

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26:28

The problem with AI

Tech Life ·

2026/04/07

Can we trust AI? Its answers are not always correct. And it only knows what it's been trained on, so some of its responses can contain bias. Tech experts offer us some solutions.Also this week: digital twinning is helping the restoration of a three hundred year old palace. And the joy of mundane video gaming!Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A person is typing on a laptop computer. Digital icons for AI, ticks (checkmarks) and warning signs float above the keyboard. Credit: Getty

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26:29

Putting polluters in court

Tech Life ·

2026/03/31

Climate change is making devastating extreme weather more common. Tech Life's Yasmin Morgan-Griffiths explores the science that could help communities take polluters to court.Also this week: we look at whether the boom in AI is causing a boom in electronic waste. And as astronauts head back to the Moon, we meet a veteran NASA space robot that's on a mission to return home.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Smoke billows from a chimney at a coal-fired power station in Eastern

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4:34

Recommending: 13 Minutes Presents Artemis II

Tech Life ·

2026/03/30

Humans are returning to the Moon - hear all about it on the BBC’s space podcast. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon, with a new episode every day. Starts on Monday 30 March 2026. Search for 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Follow or subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode. Nasa plans to return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. Its Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts to loop

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26:29

How will AI help my doctor?

Tech Life ·

2026/03/24

We discuss how AI could help health professionals work better, detect diseases earlier and even change the way people around the world look after themselves. Also this week: Shiona McCallum interviews a businesswoman who is trying to make female health tech more accessible and affordable. And we have a good news story that originated on the darker side of the internet.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of a female doctor sitting at a desk in a hospital lab. She is using AI

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26:30

Screen time ‘rewiring our brains’

Tech Life ·

2026/03/17

We dig through the evidence on the effect of screen time on babies and young children, with the help of some parents and experts. And after hearing our story of a woman who got her voice back with the help of AI, a listener got in touch to tell us his own moving story of hearing his father’s voice for the first time in 50 years.Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones and Vuyelo NdlovuPresenter: Shiona McCallum(Image: A baby holds a smartphone, looking at the screen while lying in bed. Credit: Getty

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26:29

I pretend to be OnlyFans models online

Tech Life ·

2026/03/10

Behind some OnlyFans models making money from chatting to paying subscribers is the unseen human labour people who pretend to be the models and chat on their behalf. We speak to a woman in the Philippines about her jobs as a “chatter’. Also on the programme, scientists using AI to help advance their research. And the White House has been cutting real footage from the war with Iran with clips from video games. We analyse their strategy.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones

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26:29

Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical...

Tech Life ·

2026/03/03

Quantum computing promises revolutionary new discoveries. But tech revolutions can be messy. Is now the time to start thinking about how we ethically use quantum machines?Also, we find out how glass can be turned into useful data storage that will last for thousands of years. And what can science fiction tell us about our spacefaring future? Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An image of a quantum computer inside a high-tech facility. The computer has metallic silver and

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26:29

Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind

Tech Life ·

2026/02/24

AI tech is giving people their lost voices back. We chat to Yvonne Johnson, who has motor neuron disease. She's lost much of her ability to speak. But artificial intelligence is helping Yvonne to be heard again, with her own voice.Also this week: we discuss AI and the price of memory chips with a big computer manufacturer. And video gaming is booming in Africa.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of Yvonne Johnson. She is smiling directly at the camera. Credit: Portrait Of A

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26:28

Engaging chatbots

Tech Life ·

2026/02/17

We chat to NVIDIA about AI chat and how to make it sound more human. Explore making and breaking an emotional connection with AI. And new tech is helping stroke survivors.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A digital screen shows an icon of a chatbot with text inviting users to ask it anything and a finger pressing on the screen. Credit: Getty Images)

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26:28

Would you wear smart glasses?

Tech Life ·

2026/02/10

Is this the year when smart glasses become mainstream? Whether you need spectacles for your vision, or wear sunglasses, tech firms are hoping you'll buy their latest devices. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane has road tested some of the latest wearables on the market.From smart glasses to smart bricks! It's been a childhood favourite for decades, and now Lego is packing its colourful plastic with lights, sensors and sound synthesisers. Shiona McCallum plays with the new tech.And we hear from a Hong Kong

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26:28

Driverless cars in the fast lane

Tech Life ·

2026/02/03

Autonomous taxis are already part of everyday life in some cities. What will it be like when self-driving car tech gets up to full speed ? And we find out how scientists are using quantum sensing technology to peer inside soldiers' brains on the firing range.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A Zoox robotaxi containing passengers is stationary on a road. The skyscrapers of San Francisco are in the background. Credit: Zoox, Inc.)

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26:29

China's AI progress

Tech Life ·

2026/01/27

The launch of China's DeepSeek AI tool a year ago sent shockwaves through US markets and Silicon Valley. But now Chinese AI tech is being used by more and more US companies. Our North America Technology Correspondent, Lily Jamali, tells us about it.Also this week: shoppers in Denmark are using mobile phone apps to boycott some goods from overseas. And we road-test an exoskeleton taking the physical effort out of long outdoor walks.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: An image of a

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26:28

What's new in health tech?

Tech Life ·

2026/01/20

We all want to stay fit and healthy. But how can technology help ? Shiona McCallum discusses new health tech on display at the world's biggest consumer electronics trade show. And if you own cryptocurrency - beware. Thieves could be targeting you. The BBC's Cyber Correspondent, Joe Tidy, joins us to explain more.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of Shiona McCallum wearing an LED face mask. The room is dark and the transparent face mask covers Shiona's face. The light

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26:32

When will a robot do my laundry?

Tech Life ·

2026/01/13

How close are we to humanoid robots in the home? A flurry of new robots, designed to look like us, have been revealed recently, with many in Silicon Valley excited that this is the next big leap in AI. But many humanoid robots still struggle with the basics, such as picking up a glass or watering a plant. The BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy meets some of these robots and asks: Will we really let them into our homes in the next few years?Presenter: Chris Vallance and Joe TidyProducers: Tom Quinn

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26:28

What to expect from tech in 2026

Tech Life ·

2026/01/06

For our first episode of 2026, Tech Life looks forward to the rest of the year, and beyond. What are the latest consumer gadgets on display at a huge electronics trade show in Las Vegas ? How will assistive technology, designed to help people with disabilities, change this year ? What should we be looking out for in the world of gaming ? And we ask a futurologist to predict how tech will help us buy things from retailers over the next decade.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducers: Tom Quinn & Imran

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26:29

Tech Life's look back at 2025

Tech Life ·

2025/12/30

A selection of our favourite stories in 2025. From bringing back extinct species to AI at a royal palace. And you tell us about the tech that's made a difference to your life.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones(Image: A young woman sits at a desk. A laptop computer is open on the desk. The number 2025 is projected in front of her, and she points to it with her index finger. Credit: Getty Images)

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26:29

Launching a commercial space station

Tech Life ·

2025/12/23

A company called Vast hopes to put Haven-1 into orbit in 2026. If successful, it'll be the world's first commercial space station. We speak to the company's CEO, Max Haot.Also on Tech Life this week: find out about robots in Japan that will help people cope with dementia. And the local language avatar providing growing tips to farmers in Africa.Presenter: Shiona McCallumProducer: Tom Quinn(Image: A future illustration of the commercial space station Haven-1 in orbit above Planet Earth. It is docked

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26:32

Chatbots changing minds

Tech Life ·

2025/12/16

A study found AI chatbots can persuade us with fake facts. We explore what this means for politics. Then we speak to author of The Web Beneath the Waves, Samanth Subramanian, about the importance of undersea cables. Plus: The scientists working together with nuns to save salamanders in a lake in Mexico.Presenter: Chris VallanceProducer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editors: Monica Soriano & Tom Singleton(Image: A colourful composite of a woman with her chin resting on her hands, looking confused. Behind

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113 results

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