Tech Life

We hear from experts on the pros and cons of using AI in the healthcare world. Plus ex-Minecraft YouTuber Stampy, AKA Joseph Garrett, on turning to game design. But are console games getting too expensive? And the students from India whose innovative renewable energy tech has won a prestigious award.

This week's Tech Life was presented by Shiona McCallum and produced by Imran Rahman-Jones. Our editor is Monica Soriano.

(Image: A stethoscope with a small screen on it, shown a person's heart rate at 76 BPM. A hand hold it to a person's chest.)

This week we're talking about connectivity. How to keep the internet running when international data cables are damaged by earthquakes or war. And are light beams a solution ?

Also this week: Satellites and AI are being used to count migrating wildebeest in Africa. We hear how tech is challenging long-standing estimates of animal numbers.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum

(Image: A photo of many fibre optic cables emitting bright light against a dark background. Credit: Getty Images)

A fleet of small robotic sailboats, packed with sensors, are ready to sail into the path of storms, to gather data on developing hurricanes. We find out how they'll do it. The data will help experts predict where a hurricane might reach land, giving people time to prepare and evacuate.

Also on Tech Life this week: we're at Europe's biggest tech show to find out what the next big thing might be. We speak to a Tech Life listener in Zambia who is teaching children about robotics and coding. And rented batteries, charged with solar energy, could offer a clean energy alternative in Africa.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum

(Image: A photo of a small robotic C-Star sailboat developed by British company Oshen. Credit: Oshen)

We test the AI tech that offers live language translation on the telephone. India bans online money games. And AI in the workplace - a global study looks at who uses it, and why.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum

(Image: A photo of a young woman speaking into a smartphone. Credit: pocketlight/Getty Images)

For months, we have been hearing from people all over the world who say they have been unfairly banned from their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Meta has, so far, said nothing publicly about what’s going on. Plus, we chart the rise and fall of an American tech giant, and the author of Empire of AI, Karen Hao, tells us what she thinks the industry gets wrong.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum

(Image: An illustration of a mobile phone with barbed wire surrounding it. Credit: Getty Images)

A special from Edinburgh, where art and performance meet tech with spectacular results. Including a magician with robot assistants, an AI improv group and an electrifying dance act.

Every August, Edinburgh becomes the centre of the arts world, with half a million visitors and thousands of acts descending on the Scottish capital. Among these are performers using some pioneering tech, asking questions about the role of AI in our lives and even a choreographer stimulating his dancers’ muscles with electricity.

Tell us about your own mini-adventure with tech by emailing [email protected] or sending us a Whatsapp voice note to +44 330 1230 320.

Presenter and producer: Imran Rahman-Jones

(Image: A man in a white shirt a grey waistcoat, on stage with a humanoid robot head. Credit: Getty Images)

Singapore is experiencing an increase in cyber threats, and its critical infrastructure was targeted in a cyber attack. We speak to the country's Commissioner of Cybersecurity.

Also in Tech Life this week: we hear the real voice of a fake spokesperson for a synthetic band. And presenter Zoe Kleinman has a mini tech adventure involving social media and a metal detectorist.

You can contact us by emailing [email protected] or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Please include your name and where you live.

Presenter: Zoe Kleinman

Image: Hands are held over a computer keyboard as screens display computer data. Credit: Getty Images.

China’s DeepSeek took the AI world by storm this year. Where is it now? Plus the AI doomsday scenario capturing the imagination of the tech world. How seriously should we take it? And the future of driving with Volvo’s tech lead.

Presenter: Graham Fraser

(Image: A hand holding a phone with the blue and white Deepseek whale logo on it. In the background is the red flag of China. Credit: Getty Images)

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 [email protected] 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

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

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 [email protected] 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

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