Tech Tent

We hear from a former moderator in Kenya who was left traumatised by his previous job. And we ask what video games could do to be more accessible to blind people. Plus – the radar tech used to help with online mapping. Warning: This episode includes a description of child sexual abuse.We love hearing from you on Tech Life. You can email us at techlife@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp us on +44330 1230 320.Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: A man in glasses looking at a screen, with writing digitally imposed in front of his face. Credit: Getty Images.)

Tech Life created a fake podcast using a new AI tool from Google Labs, and we spoke to the head of the tool, Steven Johnson. Don’t worry – this programme is still brought to you by real human beings! We also look into how deepfakes have been used in the US. Plus – have we unveiled the real inventor of Bitcoin? (Spoiler – no.)We love hearing from you. Email us on techlife@bbc.co.uk or send a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 0320.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: An AI-generated head with letters coming out of its mouth. Credit: Getty Images.)

Intel was once unrivalled as the world's chip maker. Now it has fallen behind its rivals. We hear why the company is struggling ahead of its latest earnings call this week. Also, the many uses of drones around the world. And the surprising tech behind indoor golf.We love hearing from you - and if you're a regular listener you'll know by now that you can contact us via email on techlife@bbc.co.uk. Or, send us a message or voice note on WhatsApp. Our number is +44 330 123 0320. Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn, Imran Rahman-Jones, Alasdair Keane Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: A close up of a computer chip. Credit: Getty Images)

This week we're looking at artificial intelligence in the workplace - how are employers and employees using it ? An international survey provides some answers.Also on Tech Life:We bring you a technological solution to the problem of litter being left behind by climbers on Mount Everest. Electric car manufacturers are rated on their human rights policies.And find out how you can heat your home - with electric wallpaper.Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An abstract futuristic representation of the letters "AI". Credit: Getty Images)Contact us: Tech Life would love to hear your stories, ideas and views about the programme. You can email us at techlife@bbc.co.uk or contact us via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 0320.

Does the tech you use depend too much on a few critical minerals ? When a hurricane temporarily disrupted mining in the small town of Spruce Pine, the tech world was concerned. We find out why the location, in North Carolina, USA, is so important, and discover where a range of rare manufacturing materials can be found across the globe. Are they critical links in a supply chain that can be broken by natural disasters or political decisions ?Also on Tech Life this week:An AI tool designed to protect athletes from online abuse during the Olympics - how well did it perform ? And what tech does an explorer take into the jungle ?Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An image of a human hand holding pure quartz crystals. Credit: Getty Images)

Tech Life is looking at big data - and how important it is to healthcare. Specifically, how it can help women's health. A femtech company in the United States is using monthly menstrual and hormone data gathered from thousands of women to gain new insights into the symptoms which lead-up to the menopause - the time in their lives when women's periods stop. We speak to the company's co-founder and CEO.Also on Tech Life this week: A global survey weighs up the influence of social media and AI on accurate news and information. And, are chatbots changing the way we search for information online ?Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones and Tom Quinn(Photo: A woman checks a health app on her smartphone. Credit: Getty Images)

How does a company make profit in the charity fundraising space? We speak to Tim Cadogan, CEO of online fundraising platform GoFundMe. We hear about the solar-powered boats being used by indigenous communities in the Amazon. And it’s 30 years of the infamous Comic Sans font. We love hearing from you. Get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp on +44330 123 0320.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Researcher: Laura Cress Editor: Monica Soriano (Image: A computer keyboard with a "donate" button and a love heart on it. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s the ongoing question about AI – will it replace jobs or create new ones? We look at the argument from the point of view of call centre workers in the Philippines. Also on the programme, how Google Maps is tracking the changes in the built environment around the world. Plus – the small European city home to some of the most important music tech in the world.Get in touch with Tech Life by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or sending us a Whatsapp on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Image: An animation of a robot wearing a headset and microphone. Credit: Getty Images)

Online mapping - we find out how it can help humanitarian work around the world. Alasdair Keane tries on virtual reality goggles that are teaching students how to solve real-world problems. Meet the teams racing on water with battery-powered boats. And a professor wins a prize for an energy-saving invention he dreamed up in 1977.Presenter: Alasdair Keane Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An online map is displayed on a laptop screen. Credit: AndreyPopov/Getty Images)

Tech Life speaks to some keen users of X in Brazil. What do they think of the ban imposed on the platform that was previously known as Twitter ? Have they moved to other social media, or have they found a way around the restrictions ?Also on Tech Life this week:We find out three things you should know about quantum mechanics. Why is it more difficult for big trucks to make the move from fossil fuels to cleaner electric power ? And AI in construction tech - we speak to the founder of a company harnessing artificial intelligence to help make sense of huge amounts of building industry paperwork.Presenter: Alasdair Keane Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: The Brazilian flag is seen behind a phone screen displaying the X logo in this illustration photo. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

We get a first-hand insight into how the war in Sudan has affected tech workers and companies there. Also on Tech Life:Old unwanted fishing nets are a real issue, for marine life and us here on dry land. One man has come up with a way of turning an environmental problem into useful 3D printed products.And, we can see the sea. We can see the sky. But wouldn't it be great if we could see the wind as well? Well now we can!Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in southern Khartoum, Sudan, amidst ongoing fighting on June 7, 2023. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

We hear from two voice over artists, based in New York City, who have filed a lawsuit against an AI company they claim stole their voices.Also on Tech Life this week:A device invented by Canadian university students is shaking up the milk business for small-scale dairy farmers in Africa. And an engineer tells us his robust plan to make tech easier to fix.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An actress records her voice into a microphone. Credit: Andrey Popov/Getty Images)

An artificial intelligence tool is helping to detect chest issues, which could indicate lung cancer, in a matter of seconds. It's now in use in forty countries around the world. It's called Annalise AI, and we speak to the co-founder of the company behind it.Also on Tech Life:In Kenya, Direct Air Capture technology is being designed, manufactured and deployed in the vast Rift valley. And the commute of the future is being mapped out and planned today - find out about digital twinning.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A doctor examines an X-ray image on a tablet. Credit: Athima Tongloom/Getty Images)

We take a look at a recent announcement from the International Olympic Committee that the inaugural Olympic esports games will be hosted in Saudi Arabia next year. While many have welcomed the competitive video gaming event, others have questioned the choice of host, because of the Kingdom's human rights record. The summer Olympics have come to a close in Paris, so we speak to the man behind the huge television operation there, using new tech to deliver the action to you - from almost every possible angle.From China to Mexico - how online shopping is changing the economics of restaurant food deliveries in a mega city. And what does it take to keep Wikipedia up-to-date ? We find out.Presenter: Alasdair Keane Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A competitor takes part in a motorsport event during Olympic esports week in Singapore, 2023. Credit: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

It's called Pig Butchering - a cruel romance scam which has victims around the world. The BBC's Cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, was targeted online. He played along to learn about the con and then turned the tables on the scammer, known as Jessica. Joe tells us what happened. Also on Tech Life, we find out about a digital detox. And we hear about the role played by artificial intelligence in discovering an important new antibiotic.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones and Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano(Photo: A red paper cut-out of a heart shape, torn in the middle, resting on a computer keyboard. Credit: Pla2na/Getty Images)

How do we cope when the tech we rely on stops working? This week we look at different types of blackouts . We explore the Bangladesh internet shutdown, which affected up to 170 million people for 10 days. We turn to South Africa, which experienced 15 years of daily power outages until very recently. Then to a country which still experiences blackouts now - Cuba. We meet the game developers who work even when the electricity cuts off.Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Photo: A red road sign saying "404". Credit: Getty Images)

Alasdair Keane is at the season finale of the Formula E, taking a look at how the tech has advanced over 10 years. We hear from the co-founder of the fully electric car racing event and ask where it goes next. What do the drivers think? And how does the event meet its sustainability goals? Plus, we go behind the scenes of a world-record-breaking AI event.Presented and produced by Alasdair Keane. Produced by Imran Rahman-Jones. Edited by Monica Soriano.Image: An orange Formula E car on the racetrack in London. Credit: Getty Images.

Ahead of the Olympics in Paris, we look at tech in sport. How is it used by athletes to improve their performance? And how is it used to deliver the spectacle to viewers at home? We also follow the quest to bring mountain biking to the Paralympics and how technology advancements are helping this become a reality. Plus, the potential for AI growth in Africa and how it might change the continent.Presented by Zoe Kleinman Produced by Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones Edited by Monica Soriano(Image: A male swimmer wearing goggles and a black swimming cap emerges out of the water. Credit: Getty Images)

As Japan axes the use of floppy discs for official government business, presenter Chris Vallance looks at other old tech that's still in use. From magnetic tape to a clockwork interplanetary rover, he discovers some vintage tech with a future. Also in this edition of Tech Life, we test an app that uses artificial intelligence to identify objects and tells us how to recycle them. And we speak to an expert conserving rhinos in South Africa with the help of nuclear technology.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A hand loads a floppy disc into a disc drive. Credit: Stockbyte/Getty Images)

We hear from Peter Gabriel, who is endorsing a competition to find a way of decoding animal communications using AI and then talk back to them. We get more details of the challenge from the chair of the prize, Prof Yossi Yovel. Microplastics in our seas and drinking water is a real problem. Two teenage students from Texas have found an innovative way to get rid of the stuff using ultrasound. If you have not heard about the Global Digital Compact, we speak to someone who says you need to know about it. And a traditional Indian instrument gets an electronic makeover.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Musician Peter Gabriel performing in New York. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)