• 26 minutes 29 seconds
    Teaching in the AI world

    We speak to Google about the introduction of artificial intelligence into classroom learning, and what they think this will mean for teachers and pupils.

    Also this week: Shiona McCallum reports on a new artificial limb which is making a big difference to the life of one man who has a very personal story to tell. And find out about the engineering technology that's being used to check the heart health of unborn babies as they grow in the womb. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Photo: A female teacher sits at a classroom desk with a female high school pupil looking at a laptop screen. Credit: Getty Images)

    26 May 2026, 7:30 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    Myth or mythos: Is the AI cyber threat real?

    From fears that a powerful new AI could supercharge hacking, to the ransomware gangs holding our data hostage, we talk to a former FBI expert about the latest cyber threats.

    Also in Tech Life this week: we hear from a listener who is using dermatology tech to educate schoolchildren on the importance of staying safe in the sun. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Photo: Numerous computer screens are displaying green-coloured code and a finger pointing at a smartphone screen. Credit: Getty Images)

    19 May 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    The AI pothole hunter

    Drivers and cyclists know the dangers of potholes and broken road signs. A Swedish company is fitting vehicles with cameras, and using AI to spot potential problems and defects. We speak to the CEO to find out how it works.

    Also in Tech Life this week: some think the internet's business model is obsolete. We talk to a big tech leader on what might replace it. And a young entrepreneur, who learned to code without a computer, tells us about his AI teaching app that will work without the internet.

    Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Image: Deep potholes have formed on a tarmac road. They are deep enough to catch rainwater. A car is about to drive over them. Credit: Getty Images)

    12 May 2026, 7:45 pm
  • 26 minutes 31 seconds
    Could this tech help millions of us sleep better?

    An anti-snoring device is being trialled as a potential solution to sleep apnoea, a condition which affects millions and can have wide-ranging consequences on daily life. We speak to the team behind the trial. Also on the programme, two health tech entrepreneurs whose personal experiences informed their products: A man who had a heart attack at 44 and now works to help reduce hospital recovery times, and a woman who lost a close family member to breast cancer and is working to help inform women in Pakistan to spot the signs and get help.

    Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones

    (Image: A man asleep in bed with a black boomerang-shaped device attached to his neck. Credit: Zeus Sleeps)

    5 May 2026, 7:30 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    The workers in the engine room of big tech

    We look at revelations about outsourced tech workers in Kenya, and try to find out why more than a thousand of them have been made redundant.

    Also this week: are you getting the best out of artificial intelligence? Could changing "how" you communicate with AI make a difference? We speak to an author and put his recommendations to an AI test. And we hear from a company turning lamp-posts into data centres.

    Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Image: The words "Meta AI" are displayed on a smartphone screen. The phone is resting on a laptop keyboard. Credit: Reuters)

    28 April 2026, 7:32 pm
  • 26 minutes 27 seconds
    A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story

    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 - with the help of AI.

    Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Image: Pam Cronrath is standing beside the hologram of her husband, Bill. Credit: George Johnsen)

    21 April 2026, 8:15 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    Sharing the road with driverless cars

    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 Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Photo: Illustration of a driverless car on a main road approaching a pedestrian crossing, with people walking in front of and around the side of the car and sensors detectimg its surroundings. Credit: Getty Images)

    14 April 2026, 9:30 pm
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    The problem with AI

    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 McCallum Producer: 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 Images)

    7 April 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    Putting polluters in court

    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 Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Photo: Smoke billows from a chimney at a coal-fired power station in Eastern Europe. The light of the sun is obscured by the dense dark smoke clouds. Credit: Reuters)

    31 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    How will AI help my doctor?

    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 McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

    (Image: A photo of a female doctor sitting at a desk in a hospital lab. She is using AI technology on a laptop computer. Credit: Getty Images)

    24 March 2026, 8:30 pm
  • 26 minutes 30 seconds
    Screen time ‘rewiring our brains’

    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 Ndlovu Presenter: Shiona McCallum

    (Image: A baby holds a smartphone, looking at the screen while lying in bed. Credit: Getty Images.)

    17 March 2026, 8:30 pm
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