Tempting fate is often seen as a fine line between courage and foolishness. It’s rooted in the belief that pushing certain boundaries or showing too much confidence might invite some kind of cosmic retribution.

Even those who don’t believe in fate hesitate to take chances, driven by an instinctual fear of what might go wrong. Matthew Syed explores why we’re both drawn to and wary of tempting fate, and why our minds often trick us into a bit of magical thinking.

By unpacking the dynamics of hubris, overconfidence, and the possibility of universal retribution, we explore whether challenging fate is a self-defining act - or a dangerous game.

With pilot Amelia Rose Earhart, professor of Behavioural Science Jane Risen and philosopher Simon Critchley.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

Amy Kurzweil’s dad is a famous inventor, futurist and pioneer in the field of AI. In 2015, she discovers his aspiration to make an AI chatbot of her late grandfather, Fred. Fred was a musician who dramatically escaped the Holocaust, but he died before Amy was born. Matthew Syed delves into Amy’s fascinating journey with her father to build the ‘Fredbot’ and have an online conversation with the grandfather she never met.

He also hears from Lynne Nieto, who worked with her late husband to make an interactive AI video of him before he passed away. Today, she struggles to engage with it.

The idea of using AI to simulate conversations with the dead troubles Matthew and raises all sorts of ethical questions. With the help of experts, he discovers how similar concepts were once debated by ancient Chinese philosophers and explores how digital ghosts could affect the grieving process.

With cartoonist and writer Amy Kurzweil; Alexis Elder, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota Duluth and author of the forthcoming book The Ethics of Digital Ghosts: Confucian, Mohist, and Zhuangist Perspectives on AI and Death; grief therapist and author of The Loss Prescription, Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell; and Lynne Nieto.

Featuring references to the graphic novel Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil, published in 2022 by Catapult Books.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

The passing of time brings inevitable change - corrosion, disintegration and, eventually, disappearance. While the certainty of this process may seem like cause for despair, Matthew Syed explores the beauty that can be found in the process of decay.

American composer William Basinski, watching his old reel-to-reel tapes disintegrate into a masterpiece of ambient music, discovered how even decay can lead to something unexpectedly profound.

In Detroit’s abandoned neighbourhoods, the ruins tell a story of transformation, where the decline of once-thriving industry serves as both a stark reminder of impermanence and a catalyst for reflection and artistic expression.

With composer William Basinski, cultural historian Professor Dora Apel, Detroit artist Scott Hocking, and religion professor Ankur Barua.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

When David Wright went to Iraq as an 18-year-old soldier - he had no idea the battlefield would become a place where he’d enter deep states of bliss. For decades, David remained silent about the intense joy he experienced alongside the horrors of war.

Matthew Syed ponders the extraordinary possibility of experiencing joy while suffering and hears more about the remarkable potential of the brain to respond to trauma in unexpected ways. He discovers how others too, like actor Renu Arora, experienced something similar when she was hit by a bus - and considers how such stories might help us shift our perspective on pain.

With ex-soldier David Wright, actor/singer/writer Renu Arora, neuroscientist Dr Andrew Newberg, Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital in Philadelphia and Dr Steve Taylor, lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in transpersonal psychology and author of the book Extraordinary Awakenings.

Featuring an excerpt sung by Renu Arora from the RSC Enterprise performance recording of Anything Could Happen from The Magician’s Elephant. Music by Marc Teitler and lyrics by Nancy Harris.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

In 2020, a curious trend went viral on social media, especially among teenagers and young adults. As much of the world stayed at home to curb the spread of COVID-19, Reality Shifters began claiming they could move from one reality to another, referencing multiverse theory.

Beyond the actual possibility of switching between realities, this craze raised intriguing questions about the fabric of the reality we experience. Philosophers and scientists have long speculated about the existence of multiple realities. Today, Matthew Syed explores the blurry line between what we perceive as reality and what may lie beyond it, inviting us to question the very nature of existence.

With Reality Shifter Kristin Dattoo, clinical psychologist Professor Eli Somer, neuroscientist Professor Anil Seth, and theoretical physicist Professor Ulf Danielsson.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

Sideways returns with seven new stories of seeing the world differently and the ideas that shape our lives. Stories about everything from the ethics of using AI to simulate conversations with the dead to viewing decay as a vehicle for rebirth. Listen to the eleventh series of Sideways first on BBC Sounds.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

Geoffrey Hinton's work laid the foundation for today's artificial intelligence systems. His research on neural networks has paved the way for current AI systems like ChatGPT.

In artificial intelligence, neural networks are systems that are similar to the human brain in the way they learn and process information. They enable artificial intelligence to learn from experience, as human beings would.

But Geoffrey Hinton has warned that machines could one day outsmart humans. He has even warned that autonomous weapons could be active on the battlefields of the future. In this final episode of 25 Years of the 21st Century, Matthew Syed interviews Professor Hinton.

Historian and author Margaret MacMillan and Baroness Joanna Shields also join Matthew in discussion. Baroness Shields has been working in the field of technology for forty years, holding senior roles at both Google and Facebook. She was the UK’s first Minister for Internet Safety and Security. She’s also a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords. Does she agree with Geoffrey Hinton's concerns for the future?

For 25 Years of the 21st Century, is this the age of artificial intelligence?

Production team

Archive

As we swipe to find love and consult chatbot therapists, Matthew Syed asks how technology has altered the way we approach dating, friendship and community.

It’s not all technology, though. Key changes in social trends, medical innovations, demography and economic factors have also played a part in how people live. How have relationships changed in the past 25 years?

Contributors

Production team

Archive

Is this the age of outsourcing?

This is not a show about call centres in India. Rather, it's a look at a much deeper shift in who we are, how we think, and where value is created. In some ways, it's the most dizzying and philosophical shift of all.

In this episode, we attempt to understand outsourcing at the macro level - how corporations have outsourced so much that they’ve become hollow. And we look at the micro level - how we've outsourced our minds and memories to technology.

Contributors

Production team

Archive

Have we lost faith in institutions, politicians - and even money?

Some people say there is an onslaught of misinformation and a battle for truth. So who do we trust now?

In this series, we’re remembering some of the big events of this century and asking how they’re shaping us.

Matthew is joined by Margaret MacMillan a historian and author, Rachel Botsman the author of three books on trust and Helen Margetts, a Professor of Society and the Internet at the University of Oxford.

Production team

Archive