Tech Life

We hear from experts on the pros and cons of using AI in the healthcare world. Plus ex-Minecraft YouTuber Stampy, AKA Joseph Garrett, on turning to game design. But are console games getting too expensive? And the students from India whose innovative renewable energy tech has won a prestigious award.

This week's Tech Life was presented by Shiona McCallum and produced by Imran Rahman-Jones. Our editor is Monica Soriano.

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This week we're talking about connectivity. How to keep the internet running when international data cables are damaged by earthquakes or war. And are light beams a solution ?

Also this week: Satellites and AI are being used to count migrating wildebeest in Africa. We hear how tech is challenging long-standing estimates of animal numbers.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

(Image: A photo of many fibre optic cables emittin...

A fleet of small robotic sailboats, packed with sensors, are ready to sail into the path of storms, to gather data on developing hurricanes. We find out how they'll do it. The data will help experts predict where a hurricane might reach land, giving people time to prepare and evacuate.

Also on Tech Life this week: we're at Europe's biggest tech show to find out what the next big thing might be. We speak to a Tech Life listener in Za...

For months, we have been hearing from people all over the world who say they have been unfairly banned from their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Meta has, so far, said nothing publicly about what’s going on. Plus, we chart the rise and fall of an American tech giant, and the author of Empire of AI, Karen Hao, tells us what she thinks the industry gets wrong.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica So...

A special from Edinburgh, where art and performance meet tech with spectacular results. Including a magician with robot assistants, an AI improv group and an electrifying dance act.

Every August, Edinburgh becomes the centre of the arts world, with half a million visitors and thousands of acts descending on the Scottish capital. Among these are performers using some pioneering tech, asking questions about the role of AI in our lives...

Singapore is experiencing an increase in cyber threats, and its critical infrastructure was targeted in a cyber attack. We speak to the country's Commissioner of Cybersecurity.

Also in Tech Life this week: we hear the real voice of a fake spokesperson for a synthetic band. And presenter Zoe Kleinman has a mini tech adventure involving social media and a metal detectorist.

You can contact us by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a...

China’s DeepSeek took the AI world by storm this year. Where is it now? Plus the AI doomsday scenario capturing the imagination of the tech world. How seriously should we take it? And the future of driving with Volvo’s tech lead.

Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano

(Image: A hand holding a phone with the blue and white Deepseek whale logo on it. In the background is the red flag of China. Cred...

Imagine a world in which AI servants are at your beck and call. They work for you, shop for you, book your travel and help organise your family life. It's called Agentic AI. And it's coming. A senior figure at Amazon tells us how they see AI agents changing our lives.

Also this week on Tech Life: Kenya's plastic waste problem is being turned into a 3D-printed teaching solution. And a charity is helping to save animals from extinctio...

Thousands of tonnes of excess sewage, manure, food waste and paper sludge are being pumped hundreds of meters underground in the USA, where it will stay for centuries, preventing greenhouse gases from being released. Microsoft is backing the method to help offset carbon emissions. We speak to the co-founder and CEO of Vaulted Deep.

Also on Tech Life: We sound out some in the music industry about the impact of generative AI. And a hi...

We step inside a quantum computer lab to answer your questions about technology that promises to revolutionise everything from particle physics to fertiliser production.

Also this week on Tech Life: lots of us upload and download large quantities of data, and the expectation is that the demand for data will only increase in the future. How will our current networks cope ? The solution travels at the speed of light.

And how do you tea...

This week on Tech Life, we speak to the company behind an AI safe driving device that's fitted to thousands of delivery vans and fleet vehicles around the world. Using cameras and an onboard AI system, it assesses how safely a vehicle is being driven. And it warns both the driver, and their manager, if it spots a serious safety risk inside or outside the vehicle.

Also this week, we find out about cargo drones parachuting humanitaria...

The way the internet will operate in the future is being discussed at the moment. Will it remain as it is now, or could governments become more involved and take more control ? We speak to ICANN, one of the technical institutions which help to keep the internet functioning, about their concerns.

Also this week: the man behind one of the most popular websites in the world talks to Tech Life. And we hear from the award-winning teenage...

What are the advantages of creating a digital mirror of a city – or an entire island? We speak to a company making digital twins to create simulations of the real world. Then we hear from a real set of twins about their award-winning carbon capture project. And the company sending tiny satellites into space to help environmental researchers.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano

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This week on Tech Life, we're looking at the problems caused by illegal gold mining in Ghana. We'll hear how drones, AI and GPS trackers are being used to tackle the trade.

Also this week, Meta goes to court as it battles ads for so-called Nudifying apps. Is "I don't know" the solution to AI chatbot hallucinations ? And the pay-as-you-cook stove that's winning awards and improving health in Africa.

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We hear from inside China on the remarkably fast electric vehicle transition going on there, as the country moves away from petrol and diesel-powered cars and lorries. BBC Transport Correspondent Nick Marsh reports on the latest EV technology that's making Chinese brands popular and affordable.

Also on Tech Life this week, who has the fastest computer in the world ? And what is it used for ? An expert tells us everything we need to ...

What happens when a company we trust with our most personal data gets into financial trouble ? We hear from a woman who trusted a US company with her genetic information.

Also on Tech Life this week, will there be enough electricity for the demands of artificial intelligence ? The International Energy Agency tells us about the challenges of powering the AI boom. And we find out how to grow an island in The Maldives. The tech involve...

This week we're looking at a growing digital industry which allows people to interact - in a way - with the likeness or the voice of someone they care about who has passed away. It's not science fiction, and it does involve AI chatbots.

Also on Tech Life this week, we'll be finding out about two tech solutions to the problem of food which goes to waste. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane explores the challenge of making a Formula 1 racing c...