Tech Life

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)

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 Producer: Tom Quinn (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 Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano (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 techlife@bbc.co.uk or sending us a Whatsapp voice note to +44 330 1230 320. Presenter and producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano (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 techlife@bbc.co.uk 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 Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: Hands are held over a computer screen as several 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 Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano (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.)

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 techlife@bbc.co.uk 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 Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano 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 techlife@bbc.co.uk 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 Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: Slurry injection technology in use on location in the USA. Credit: Vaulted Deep

We step inside a quantum computer lab to answer your questions about technology that promises to revolutionise everything from particle physics to fertiliser production. Also this week on Tech Life: lots of us upload and download large quantities of data, and the expectation is that the demand for data will only increase in the future. How will our current networks cope ? The solution travels at the speed of light. And how do you teach AI to speak in different accents ? We find out. We enjoy reading your messages about Tech Life. Please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk 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 Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: The word "Quantum" is illuminated on a circuit board. Credit: Wong Yu Liang/Getty Images

This week on Tech Life, we speak to the company behind an AI safe driving device that's fitted to thousands of delivery vans and fleet vehicles around the world. Using cameras and an onboard AI system, it assesses how safely a vehicle is being driven. And it warns both the driver, and their manager, if it spots a serious safety risk inside or outside the vehicle. Also this week, we find out about cargo drones parachuting humanitarian aid into parts of central Africa. And what can children tell us about AI ? We enjoy reading your messages about Tech Life. Please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. You can use the same contact details to send us any questions you've ever wanted to have answered about quantum computers. We're hoping to gather up your questions and ask an expert about quantum computing for a future episode. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: A photo taken inside a car of the road ahead and other road traffic outside. Credit: egon69/Getty Images

The way the internet will operate in the future is being discussed at the moment. Will it remain as it is now, or could governments become more involved and take more control ? We speak to ICANN, one of the technical institutions which help to keep the internet functioning, about their concerns. Also this week: the man behind one of the most popular websites in the world talks to Tech Life. And we hear from the award-winning teenage inventor of a toxic dust detector. We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. You can use the same contact details to send us any questions you've ever wanted to have answered about quantum computers. We're hoping to gather up your questions and ask an expert about quantum computing in a future episode. Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: An illustration of a woman holding a tablet device connected to the internet. Credit: Suwanmanee99/Getty Images

What are the advantages of creating a digital mirror of a city – or an entire island? We speak to a company making digital twins to create simulations of the real world. Then we hear from a real set of twins about their award-winning carbon capture project. And the company sending tiny satellites into space to help environmental researchers. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano (Image: A graphic of a person's hand holding a mini city on its fingertips. Credit: Getty Images.)

This week on Tech Life, we're looking at the problems caused by illegal gold mining in Ghana. We'll hear how drones, AI and GPS trackers are being used to tackle the trade. Also this week, Meta goes to court as it battles ads for so-called Nudifying apps. Is "I don't know" the solution to AI chatbot hallucinations ? And the pay-as-you-cook stove that's winning awards and improving health in Africa. We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: A photo of two gold miners in Ghana. Credit: Christian Thompson/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

We hear from inside China on the remarkably-fast electric vehicle transition going on there, as the country moves away from petrol and diesel-powered cars and lorries. BBC Transport Correspondent Nick Marsh reports on the latest EV technology that's making Chinese brands popular and affordable. Also on Tech Life this week, who has the fastest computer in the world ? And what is it used for ? An expert tells us everything we need to know about supercomputers. And we find out about a new piece of tech that can provide electricity, transport and clean drinking water in disaster zones - using solar power. We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: A photo of a green electric car charging on a street in China. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images.

What happens when a company we trust with our most personal data gets into financial trouble ? We hear from a woman who trusted a US company with her genetic information. Also on Tech Life this week, will there be enough electricity for the demands of artificial intelligence ? The International Energy Agency tells us about the challenges of powering the AI boom. And we find out how to grow an island in The Maldives. The tech involved could protect low-lying territories from erosion and rising sea levels. We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: A scientist holds a DNA sample with the results on a computer screen in a laboratory. Credit: Westend61/Getty Images

This week we're looking at a growing digital industry which allows people to interact - in a way - with the likeness or the voice of someone they care about who has passed away. It's not science fiction, and it does involve AI chatbots. Also on Tech Life this week, we'll be finding out about two tech solutions to the problem of food which goes to waste. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane explores the challenge of making a Formula 1 racing car more eco friendly. And what is digital art ? We enjoy reading your messages about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Graham Fraser Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano Image: An illustration of a human hand reaching toward the unknown. Science fiction becoming reality. Credit: Yana Iskayeva/Getty Images

This week we're learning about patents - what they are, and who wants one. And by analysing the global demand for patents, we can see future trends in tech. Also in this edition of Tech Life, what are doctors and patients around the world saying about the use of artificial intelligence in hospitals ? And we'll be finding out about Google's latest injection of AI into online search. We enjoy reading the messages being sent in about the one item of tech you simply can't do without. If you want to tell us about your must-have piece of tech, please get in touch by emailing techlife@bbc.co.uk or send us a Whatsapp message or voice memo on +44 330 1230 320. Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano (Image: A photo of a woman with a lightbulb sticker on her forehead, indicating she's had an idea. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)