Will algorithms increase your grocery bill?

Walmart’s digital price tags. The retail giant is rolling out shelf labels that allow prices to be updated instantly across stores. This isn’t a new trend. Airlines and hotels constantly adjust pricing based on demand. But if grocery prices can change in real time, what will this mean for your bill? And will pricing ever be adjusted using customer data or behavioural signals to maximise profit? Nicky launches the Great Interface Banana Pricing Study to monitor digital price tags in your local store.

Also this week:

Houston we have a problem… with our Microsoft Outlook. Artemis II’s crew on the way to the moon reported issues with their email inbox. While the glitch was eventually fixed, it raised eyebrows on earth and questions about the popularity of Microsoft Products. Microsoft still has a massive user base. Windows remains dominant in PC gaming. But the real backbone is enterprise: businesses are already deeply embedded in Microsoft’s ecosystem, and switching is costly and disruptive. What would the future look like if Windows was dethroned?

Microsoft responded to our request for comment after our recording. A spokesperson said: “At Microsoft, we deliver broad access to technology that works across price points, devices, and environments. We design products like Windows and Microsoft 365 for the people who use them every day, while ensuring organizations get the security, performance, and manageability they need at scale.”

Is being techy an old person’s game now? Friction Maxxing is the Gen Z term for deliberately making life less convenient. Instead of removing obstacles, it embraces difficulty, tension, and emotional resistance. Karen asks why are some people taking this approach to regain control and focus? Is the next trend in tech…less tech? In Tom’s case, this means listening to cassettes on his boombox.

The Interface is your weekly guide to the tech rewiring your week and our world. Hosted by journalists Thomas Germain, Karen Hao, and Nicky Woolf, each episode unpacks, week by week, how technology is shaping all our futures. No guests. No jargon. Just three sharp voices debating the stories that matter — whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power.

New episodes every Thursday on BBC Sounds in the UK. Outside the UK, find us on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video version on YouTube (search “The Interface podcast”).

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The Interface is a BBC Studios production. Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

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