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Tech Life

BBC World Service
Tech Life
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376 episodes

  • Tech Life

    How an AI was tricked into breaking its own rules

    09/29/2026 | 26 mins.
    Security researchers have got an AI model to break its own rules and give advice on terrorist attacks and assassinations. They talk to Tech Life about their findings. Plus, indie game developer Jonathan Blow on why he spent 10 years inventing his own coding language and game engine for his newest release. And Shiona McCallum takes us through the latest in birth tech.
    Presenter: Chris Vallance
    Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones
    (Image: An illustration of a brain with “AI” written on it, underneath a birdcage. Credit: Getty Images.)
  • Tech Life

    Gauging China's AI strength

    09/22/2026 | 26 mins.
    How far has China come in developing AI technology? And what challenges does it face? An expert helps us understand the thinking in Beijing.
    Also this week: what can fifty thousand autonomous machines tell us about the future of robotics? And cutting edge tech helps cricket reach new audiences.
    Presenter: Chris Vallance
    Producer: Tom Quinn
    (Image: An illustration of the Chinese flag over electronic circuitry. Credit: Getty Images)
  • Tech Life

    Growing up in the age of AI

    09/15/2026 | 26 mins.
    AI is developing rapidly. What should parents and children make of it all? And how can young people navigate school and future careers when AI is becoming increasingly important? We speak to an expert who has written a new book about these issues.
    Also this week: we find out how one piece of health tech is helping scientists uncover disease-fighting data in menstrual blood. And satellite imaging is used by conservationists in Indonesia to protect the habitat of a rare species of orangutan.
    Presenter: Shiona McCallum
    Producer: Tom Quinn
    (Photo: A female school pupil sits at a laptop in a computer lab. She is wearing headphones. Credit: Getty Images)
  • Tech Life

    The copyright extortionists

    09/08/2026 | 26 mins.
    Lots of people make a living from social media posts. But some have been targeted by an international extortion scheme. It involves a flood of false copyright infringement claims. It only stops if the extorter is paid. Imran Rahman-Jones has the story.
    Also this week: could AI help to spot wrong-way driving on Ireland's major roads? And we bring you the latest titles and tech on show at Gamescom in Germany.
    Presenter: Chris Vallance
    Producer: Tom Quinn
    (Image: Silhouettes of mobile phone users are seen next to a screen projection of Instagram's logo. Credit: Reuters)
  • Tech Life

    What if AI doesn’t speak your language?

    09/01/2026 | 26 mins.
    English is the most widely-used language online. Internet material helps to train AI tools. So where does that leave people whose native language barely features on the web? We find out about a project helping AI to work in more of the world’s languages.
    Also this week: regulating tech might sound about as appealing as a trip to the dentist. But, like your check-up, it is important. With Europe and the United States taking different approaches, we’ll ask who gets to set the rules, and what that means for the rest of us. And there’s a growing range of technology aimed at older people. We’ll look at some of the products out there, and ask how useful they really are.
    Presenter: Shiona McCallum
    Producer: Tom Quinn
    (Photo: A young woman holds a smartphone to her mouth while sitting at a table. She is using a smartphone AI voice assistant. Credit: Getty Images)
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About Tech Life
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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