Warnings about the dangers of AI are reaching fever pitch, with cases of AI agents going rogue and attempts by malicious actors to use the technology to create biological weapons. Industry whistleblowers are sounding the alarm about a technology they claim could destroy humanity, while AI CEOs are themselves making proposals for a slow down. So how do they plan to stop this march towards oblivion? And how scared should we all be?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Chris Dorrell, technology correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Harry Stott, Leo Danczak.

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Read more: Anthropic blocks ‘malicious’ AI use over biological weapons fear

Further listening: 'We don't understand the consequences' - Why I quit OpenAI - The Sunday Story

Clips: CBS, BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, NBC, Sky.

Photo: Tony Bell, Times illustration.

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In June 2023, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic who is currently serving an indefinite hospital order. The months-long public inquiry into their deaths has revealed a staggering number of failures by the authorities, and a widespread culture of denial and unaccountability. So what went wrong? And what lessons can be learned? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Fiona Hamilton, chief reporter, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Jesse Fox.

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Read more: Nottingham attacks: ‘We have no faith in the police. We want justice’ 

Clips: BBC, Sky News, The Nottingham Inquiry. 

Photo: Richard Pohle, The Times. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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When Freddie Mercury, lead vocalist of Queen and one of the all-time greats of rock music, died from Aids in 1991, he left his beloved Kensington house to his lifelong companion Mary Austin. Once engaged to the superstar – before they both realised he preferred men – Austin was by his side from unglamorous beginnings to global stardom. She exclusively reads the story of their extraordinary relationship for the Story.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read by: Mary Austin

Producers: Sophie McNulty and Taryn Siegel.

Read More: My life with Freddie Mercury — by the best friend he nearly married 

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Clips: Live Aid, Queen Youtube. 

Music Excerpt: Queen - Lily of the Valley (Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC)

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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It’s 25 years since the 9/11 attacks; in the aftermath, the CIA hunted down those responsible – detaining suspects and subjecting them to ‘enhanced interrogation.’ One of the prisoners who was subjected to these tactics was Abu Zubaydah, who, at the time, was thought to be a top member of al-Qaeda. John Kiriakou, a former CIA operative who led the operation to capture Zubaydah, blew the whistle on the torture that prisoners like him experienced. As a result, Kiriakou went to prison, as well. Now, he’s asking President Trump for clemency. 

This episode contains descriptions of violence and torture. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Josie Ensor, chief US reporter, The Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Sophie McNulty

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: I went to jail for exposing America’s darkest 9/11 secret. Trump should pardon me

Further listening: The 9/11 suspect - part 1

Clips: ABC News, C-SPAN, Cleared Hot Podcast.

Photo: Michael McCoy for The Times.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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The AfD’s thumping victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election has sent shockwaves across the German political landscape and left chancellor Friedrich Merz in a state of shock. With his popularity plummeting and further regional elections on the horizon, is Merz’s time almost up? And what does all of this tell us about the current state of German democracy? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Jesse Fox, Leo Danczak. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Firewall to keep AfD out is crumbling — how will Friedrich Merz react?

Further listening: Germany’s radical right is surging. Can they be stopped? 

Clips: BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, T Online, CBC News, Phoenix, APT.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Yesterday, foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank in response to an increase in settler expansion and violence there. So what is really happening on the ground? Can UK sanctions prevent settlement expansion? And what does this mean for Britain’s relationship with Israel and the US?

This podcast contains scenes some listeners may find upsetting.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent, The Times.
• Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case, Jesse Fox.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: ‘My son was on my wife’s lap when the IDF shot him dead’

Further listening:  The ticking time bomb Netanyahu faces at home

Clips:  Parliamentlive.tv, BBC, UK Government / facebook, CNN, PBS, Channel 4, Al Jazeera.

Photo: Kobi Wolf for The Sunday Times.

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John Healey gave his first major speech as Chancellor on Monday, aiming to show that the economy has ‘turned a corner’. But his comments have been overshadowed by a background of turmoil in the bond markets, thousands of job cuts, and speculation that he is offering very little different to his predecessor Rachel Reeves. So what did this speech tell us about the new Chancellor? And will he have to raise taxes at the budget in October? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Jack Barnett, economics correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Leo Danczak, Shabnam Grewal.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: It’s decision time for Andy Burnham if he wants to win over markets

Further listening: The Business: Scott Bessent, bond markets and the threat to UK borrowing

Clips: BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, The Andrew Neil Report.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Hundreds of protestors in Portsmouth clashed with police last night and early this morning. It was the second mass demonstration against small boat arrivals after a far-right protest caused disruption at the Port of Dover on Saturday. So who is behind the protests? And what should the government do now?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Ollie Cole, newsroom reporter, The Times. 
• Lord Walney, former government advisor on political violence and disruption.
• Dr Georgios Samaras, lecturer in public policy, Kings College London. 

Host: Seb Payne, leader writer and columnist, The Times. 

Producers: Felix Forbes, Maya Loubani, Rufus Jones. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Portsmouth protest: police officers injured as migrant dinghy arrives

Further listening: The state of asylum in the UK

Photo: PA.

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Asylum seekers now make up one in ten of all migrants coming to the UK each year but just one in sixty of those that leave. This week, The Times is looking at the myriad problems with Britain’s asylum system, from Labour’s policies to how previous governments have failed to fix the crisis. What is there left to try?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Matt Dathan, home affairs editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producer: Olivia Case.

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Read more: Jordan Bardella: UK and France must ‘regain control of Channel’

Further listening: Can Reform reset at conference?

Clips: ITV, The I Paper, The Daily Express, 5 News, GB News, TalkTV, SKY, France 24, Channel 4, DWS News. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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This week, after a meticulously planned voyage for the 11th-century retelling of the Battle of Hastings, the British Museum’s long-awaited Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens to the public.  But, why has it taken almost a thousand years for the Bayeux Tapestry to return to Britain? And after all these centuries, why does this extraordinary piece of embroidery still capture the public imagination? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Katie Gatens, Europe correspondent, The Sunday Times 

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Sophie McNulty

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Your interactive guide to the Bayeux Tapestry

Clips: Sky News, DRM News, The Royal Family - YouTube.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Autism diagnoses in England have shot up in recent years from 700,000 three years ago to around 1.1 million today. It's led to a backlash, with some suggesting the condition is being over-diagnosed. Not so, says Dr Mary Doherty, a top doctor who founded Autistic Doctors International. She says she knows why diagnoses are up. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read by: Andrew Billen, feature writer, The Times.

Producer: Olivia Case.  

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: I’m a top doctor and I’m autistic. I know why diagnoses are up

Photo: Tom Jackson for The Times magazine

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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