Tech Life

Latest Episodes:

Your AI servant Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

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 extinction by freezing their cells.

We enjoy reading your messages about tech and Tech Life. Please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Please include your name and where you live.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: A futuristic illustration of a human head connected to technology by an AI Agent. Credit: MF3d/Getty Images

Can sewage make tech cleaner ? Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

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 high altitude Tech Life listener tells us about the time his tech went wrong.

We enjoy reading your messages about Tech Life. Please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Please include your name and where you live.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: Slurry injection technology in use on location in the USA. Credit: Vaulted Deep

Quantum question time Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

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 teach AI to speak in different accents ? We find out.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: The word "Quantum" is illuminated on a circuit board. Credit: Wong Yu Liang/Getty Images

AIs on the road Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

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 humanitarian aid into parts of central Africa. And what can children tell us about AI ?

We enjoy reading your messages about Tech Life. Please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320.

You can use the same contact details to send us any questions you've ever wanted to have answered about quantum computers. We're hoping to gather up your questions and ask an expert about quantum computing for a future episode.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: A photo taken inside a car of the road ahead and other road traffic outside. Credit: egon69/Getty Images

The future of the internet is up for debate Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

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 inventor of a toxic dust detector.

We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320.

Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: An illustration of a woman holding a tablet device connected to the internet. Credit: Suwanmanee99/Getty Images

Digital twin cities Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

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

(Image: A graphic of a person's hand holding a mini city on its fingertips. Credit: Getty Images.)

Tackling illegal mining with tech Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

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.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: A photo of two gold miners in Ghana. Credit: Christian Thompson/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

China's booming EV industry Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

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 know about supercomputers. And we find out about a new piece of tech that can provide electricity, transport and clean drinking water in disaster zones - using solar power.

Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: A photo of an electric car charging in China. Credit: Master/Getty Images.

Data and me Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

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 involved could protect low-lying territories from erosion and rising sea levels.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: A scientist holds a DNA sample with the results on a computer screen in a laboratory. Credit: Westend61/Getty Images

The digital afterlife business May 27, 2025

Show notes

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 car more eco friendly. And what is digital art ?

Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano

Image: An illustration of a human hand reaching toward the unknown. Science fiction becoming reality. Credit: Yana Iskayeva/Getty Images

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