Tech Life

We all want to stay fit and healthy. But how can technology help ? Shiona McCallum discusses new health tech on display at the world's biggest consumer electronics trade show. And if you own cryptocurrency - beware. Thieves could be targeting you. The BBC's Cyber Correspondent, Joe Tidy, joins us to explain more. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of Shiona McCallum wearing an LED face mask. The room is dark and the transparent face mask covers Shiona's face. The light emitting from the mask gives Shiona's face a red glow. Credit: BBC.)

How close are we to humanoid robots in the home? A flurry of new robots – designed to look like us – have been revealed recently, with many in Silicon Valley excited that this is the next big leap in AI. But many humanoid robots still struggle with the basics, such as picking up a glass or watering a plant. In this special edition of Tech Life, the BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy meets some of these robots and asks: Will we really let them into our homes in the next few years? Presenter: Chris Vallance & Joe Tidy Producers: Tom Quinn & Imran Rahman-Jones (Image: Joe Tidy looking at a white humanoid robot with a red baseball cap on. It is looking back at him. They are standing in a domestic kitchen setting.)

For our first episode of 2026, Tech Life looks forward to the rest of the year, and beyond. What are the latest consumer gadgets on display at a huge electronics trade show in Las Vegas ? How will assistive technology, designed to help people with disabilities, change this year ? What should we be looking out for in the world of gaming ? And we ask a futurologist to predict how tech will help us buy things from retailers over the next decade. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Tom Quinn & Imran Rahman-Jones (Image: A computer-generated image of a circuit board, with “2026” shown in neon numbers in the centre. Credit: Getty Images)

A selection of our favourite stories in 2025. From bringing back extinct species to AI at a royal palace. And you tell us about the tech that's made a difference to your life. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones (Image: A young woman sits at a desk. A laptop computer is open on the desk. The number 2025 is projected in front of her, and she points to it with her index finger. Credit: Getty Images)

A company called Vast hopes to put Haven-1 into orbit in 2026. If successful, it'll be the world's first commercial space station. We speak to the company's CEO, Max Haot. Also on Tech Life this week: find out about robots in Japan that will help people cope with dementia. And the local language avatar providing growing tips to farmers in Africa. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A future illustration of the commercial space station Haven-1 in orbit above Planet Earth. It is docked with a Dragon spacecraft. Credit: Vast.)

A study found AI chatbots can persuade us with fake facts. We explore what this means for politics. Then we speak to author of The Web Beneath the Waves, Samanth Subramanian, about the importance of undersea cables. Plus: The scientists working together with nuns to save salamanders in a lake in Mexico. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editors: Monica Soriano & Tom Singleton (Image: A colourful composite of a woman with her chin resting on her hands, looking confused. Behind her is an illustration of a laptop. Credit: Getty Images)

Twitch streamer QTCinderella talks about the unwelcome attention she receives in real life. Shiona McCallum reports on robotics for offshore wind farms. And polar rover tech. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of Twitch streamer QTCinderella attending TwitchCon 2024 in San Diego, USA. She is standing in front of a TwitchCon backdrop and logo. She is smiling at the camera. Credit: Getty Images.)

We’re all about AI today. As AI-generated music tops US charts, a musician explains how he uses AI in the songwriting process. A fashion house explains how they use it to help sizing issues. And with the festive season approaching, there is a warning over its use in children’s toys. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Studio manager: Nolwenn Movallali (Image: Manon Dave wearing a baseball cap, a white T-shirt and jeans, sitting on a stage wearing a head mic. He is gesturing with his hands mid-sentence. Credit: Getty Images.)

Does AI have a role in education ? Some private schools in the United States are swapping traditional teacher-led classroom lessons for laptops and personalised apps. We speak to pupils and the co-founder of the school network embracing AI-assisted learning. Also in this edition: We're lifting the lid on online scams around the world. Hear how one woman was conned out of a large sum of money, and an expert tells us what we should be wary of online. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: Rear view of a large group of high school students in a computer lab. They have laptops on their desks. Credit: Getty Images)

We look at how tech and visas have freed some employees from their desktops, allowing them to continue their work from other parts of the world. They're called digital nomads. Also in this edition: Shiona McCallum speaks to a victim of online bullying in Kenya, and finds out about a charity trying to help. And tech startups in Finland are turning to Slush. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of a laptop near a swimming pool on a sunny day. Credit: Getty Images)

Seven pioneers of artificial intelligence gathered at St James's Palace to receive the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, presented by King Charles. Zoe Kleinman was there. In this week's edition you can hear Zoe talk to the 'godmother' of AI, Professor Fei-Fei Li, and Jensen Huang, the head of the world's most valuable company, Nvidia. Also on Tech Life this week: how useful can robots be in space ? And the racing cars revving up in Abu Dhabi without any drivers onboard. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of King Charles at the prize ceremony in London. Credit: Reuters)

We look at a particular use of tech in family life - using trackers to know where your children are, or your partner, or other relatives. What are the safety and privacy issues ? Also on Tech Life: Shiona McCallum speaks to the BBC's cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, about a gang of Russian hackers known as Evil Corps. Who are they, and what have they done ? Joe is co-hosting a new podcast about them. And a young engineer from Kenya has developed an app for deaf people, so they can read sign language on a screen while people speak to them in real-time. It's just earned him a prestigious award. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of a mother and teenage daughter at home, using a laptop and smartphone. Credit: Getty Images)

We look at the impact data-scraping robots from AI firms are having on the online encyclopedia used by hundreds of millions of people. Also in this edition of Tech Life: if you work in the fashion industry, if you are a fashion model, are you worried about AI ? A lot are, and we find out why. And how do we prevent children from seeing online adult content ? Many parts of the world are requiring sites to verify the ages of their users. Now the biggest adult site argues that we need a better system. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo illustration of the Wikipedia logo displayed on a smartphone screen. Credit: Getty Images)

More than 200 prominent individuals and 70 organisations want international agreement on 'do not cross' red lines for artificial intelligence, to prevent risks to humanity. We speak to Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at the University of California in Berkeley, who is backing the call. He spells out some of the potential risks that AI could pose to us all, and says global agreement on AI red lines is the solution. Also on Tech Life this week: We look at how artificial intelligence is having an impact on the legal profession. In Ghana, holograms are helping to spread breast cancer health advice. And Shiona McCallum speaks to a young tech Youtuber in Dubai. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: An illustration of AI letters against a red backdrop. Credit: Wong Yu Liang/Getty Images)

We speak to the founder and CEO of Axon Enterprise, maker of the Taser, about the tech's future. And the future includes drones armed with Tasers. Also in this edition of Tech Life: why an underwater glider is circumnavigating the globe, gathering data on the oceans. And find out why the quantum computing revolution could arrive sooner than expected. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A close-up photo of a Taser being aimed. Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

A class action lawsuit is underway in Italy against Meta and TikTok. Lawyers say they want to protect younger children from social media harm. We look at the issues. Also in Tech Life this week, we have another story about social media. It's about farmers in Africa, so-called agri-influencers, and how they're cultivating an online movement. Shiona McCallum tests a new maritime AI communication system. And a Japanese tech company is trying to eradicate malaria using drones. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A child uses a smartphone. Credit: Getty Images)

An exclusive interview with Bill Ready, boss of social media platform Pinterest. Plus – what is actually stolen in a cyber-attack, the end of dial-up and are AI pets the future? Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones (Image: A phone with the red Pinterest logo on it. Credit: Getty Images)

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