Tech Life

Hosted by BBC World Service

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359

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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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60 recent

June 16, 202626 min

ChatGPT prompt generates disturbing images

A group of cybersecurity researchers found a prompt which gets past ChatGPT’s guardrails and causes it to generate some disturbing images. We unpack what this tells us about the way AI is trained, and how it could be exploited. Also on the show, after a recent episode about potholes, we were contacted by the UK’s ministry of transport. We speak to their chief scientific adviser about potholes and the future of transport. And what is a quantum diamond magnetometer? We speak to the company which has just put one into space – in order to measure where magnetic north really is.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones(Image: A phone with the white and black ChatGPT logo on it. In the background is green Matrix-style code. Credit: Getty Images)

June 9, 202626 min

Tackling lithium battery fires on planes

When we fly we love to take our gadgets with us. But the lithium batteries that power them can catch fire. We find out about a new campaign urging us to pack with safety in mind.Also this week: the BBC's Lily Jamali visits an international competition for new AI applications in San Francisco. And protecting Africa's endangered wildlife is an increasingly high-tech business - a new scheme aims to give conservation workers the latest skills.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A man is in an airport lounge. He is charging his smartphone with a portable charger, which is resting on a suitcase. Credit: Getty Images)

June 2, 202626 min

Microsoft's big quantum bet

Microsoft unveils a new quantum chip. It's a big moment for the company, as its quantum programme has faced criticism. Is the tech giant's strategy finally paying off? And when will this chip deliver practical quantum computing? The BBC's Technology Editor, Zoe Kleinman, interviews Microsoft's executive vice president for quantum.Also this week: what new tech can soccer fans expect at the World Cup? Shiona McCallum reports from FIFA headquarters in Switzerland. And a leading critic of AI hype returns to Tech Life.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A hand is seen holding the new Majorana 2 quantum chip from Microsoft. The chip is gold-coloured. It is so large that it is the same size as the hand. Credit: Microsoft)

May 26, 202626 min

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)

May 19, 202626 min

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)

May 12, 202626 min

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)

May 5, 202626 min

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)

April 28, 202626 min

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)

April 21, 202626 min

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)

April 14, 202626 min

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)