AI-related investments are now worth up to half of the entire value of the S&P 500. But is the AI investment boom a bubble waiting to burst? Tim Bradshaw, the FT’s global technology correspondent, speaks to Richard Kramer, founder of Arete Research, and Ophelia Brown, founder of Blossom Capital. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival on 5th September 2026.

Tech Tonic is produced by Edwin Lane, the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas earlier this year, athletes used performance-enhancing drugs and banned equipment in an attempt to break world records. At the same time, companies such as Adidas are designing new types of equipment that fall within the rules, but give athletes an edge. So where is the line between cheating and innovation?

This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Flo Phillips. 

Clips: Enhanced Games

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video-assistant refereeing (VAR) has proved to be one of the most controversial pieces of technology ever introduced in sports. But with the rise of everything from broadcasting gimmicks to data-driven gambling, it’s far from the only technology changing what it means to be a fan. The FT’s sports editor Josh Noble asks whether these advancements are making sport more fun to watch, or overshadowing the event itself. 

This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Flo Phillips. Special thanks to David Sheppard and Florian Müller.

Clips: Wimbledon, BBC SPFL, Sky, TNT

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, sportspeople have been getting fitter, faster and reaching ever-higher levels of performance. But as the margin between winning and losing shrinks, athletes are turning to technology to make the difference.

In this new season of Tech Tonic, Josh Noble explores how advanced ‘supershoes’ are helping to break marathon records, how young players are using AI to catch the eye of recruiters in the ultra-competitive world of American football, and how UFC is finding new ways to keep fighters healthier for longer.

This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Flo Phillips. 

Clips: BBC, British Pathé, MMA World, Fight Network, @SportsRecruits

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are technological advances in sport leaving athletes, fans and competition itself better off? Or are they undermining the spirit of sport? With the World Cup underway, the FT’s sports editor Josh Noble presents a three-part series looking at how tech is transforming sports, from AI-enabled scouting and automated refereeing, to supershoes and performance-enhancing drugs.

This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Flo Phillips.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Zuckerberg created the world’s biggest social media company in Facebook, before deciding the future lay in the metaverse. Now he’s spending hundreds of billions of dollars to transform Meta again, this time into an AI company. Will it work? Murad Ahmed speaks to FT tech reporters Cristina Criddle and Hannah Murphy about Zuckerberg’s efforts to catch up in the AI race, and whether his vision of ‘personal superintelligence’ will win over consumers. 

FT articles free to read: 

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s turbulent bet on AI

Meta releases first AI model since Zuckerberg’s spending spree

Meta to mine AI interactions to help target advertising

Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. 

Tell us what you think of Tech Tonic! Complete this short survey and you’ll get the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones.

Prize draw winners’ surnames and regions may be made available upon request, as required by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you do not want your information to be made available, please email [email protected] upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk’s xAI is lagging behind the likes of OpenAI and Google DeepMind in the AI race. Will a giant IPO of SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, change all that? Murad Ahmed speaks to FT technology correspondent Hannah Murphy and the FT’s bureau chief in San Francisco Stephen Morris. 

FT articles free to read: 

Inside SpaceX’s audacious IPO plan

Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters

‘The race is on’: will Elon Musk be the first to put a data centre in space?

Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. 

Tell us what you think of Tech Tonic! Complete this short survey and you’ll get the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones.

Prize draw winners’ surnames and regions may be made available upon request, as required by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you do not want your information to be made available, please email [email protected] upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI sparked the generative AI boom with the release of ChatGPT. But along the way its chief executive Sam Altman has ruffled plenty of feathers. Colleagues have left to set up rival labs, co-founders have sued him in court and his own company even tried to sack him. Now OpenAI’s early lead in the AI race is evaporating. Can it stay ahead of its rivals, and is Altman the right person to lead the AI revolution?

FT articles free to read: 

Elon Musk loses OpenAI case after 2 hours of jury deliberations

OpenAI investors question $852bn valuation as strategy shifts

OpenAI chief Sam Altman: ‘This is genius-level intelligence’

Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Tell us what you think of Tech Tonic! Complete this short survey and you’ll get the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones.

Prize draw winners’ surnames and regions may be made available upon request, as required by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you do not want your information to be made available, please email [email protected] upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest AI boom Google has been playing catch-up with the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. But with stacks of cash, its own AI chips and some of the best AI talent in the world, is Google about to make a comeback? Murad Ahmed speaks to the FT’s AI editor Madhumita Murgia and Stephen Morris, the FT’s bureau chief in San Francisco.

FT articles free to read: 

DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis warns AI investment looks ‘bubble-like’

DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race

Google staff urge chief executive to block US military AI use

Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Tell us what you think of Tech Tonic! Complete this short survey and you’ll get the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones.

Prize draw winners’ surnames and regions may be made available upon request, as required by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you do not want your information to be made available, please email [email protected] upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wants his AI lab to be a more safety conscious alternative to OpenAI. But Anthropic’s business selling AI to enterprises is booming, and it’s rolling out increasingly powerful models - the latest is claimed to be so dangerous it can’t be released to the public. So can Anthropic win the battle of the AI labs and still claim to be the good guys of AI?

Murad Ahmed speaks to Cristina Criddle, FT reporter in San Francisco covering AI, and John Thornhill, the FT’s innovation editor.

FT articles free to read: 

Anthropic’s Mythos AI model tests limits of global cyber defences

Anthropic chief Dario Amodei: ‘I don’t want AI turned on our own people’

Anthropic’s breakout moment: how Claude won business and shook markets

Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Tell us what you think of Tech Tonic! Complete this short survey and you’ll get the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Prize Draw winners’ surnames and regions may be made available upon request, as required by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you do not want your information to be made available, please email [email protected] upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.