Tech Life

Quantum computing promises revolutionary new discoveries. But tech revolutions can be messy. Is now the time to start thinking about how we ethically use quantum machines? Also in Tech Life this week: find out how to turn glass into useful data storage that'll last for thousands of years. And what can science fiction tell us about our spacefaring future? Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Photo: An image of a quantum computer inside a high-tech facility. The computer has metallic silver and gold-coloured tubing to assist in cooling. Credit: Getty Images)

AI tech is giving people back their voices, lost because of illness. We chat to Yvonne Johnson, who has motor neuron disease. She's lost much of her ability to speak. But artificial intelligence is helping Yvonne to be heard again, with her own voice. Also this week: we discuss AI and the price of memory chips with a big computer manufacturer. And video gaming in Africa is booming. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of Yvonne Johnson. She is smiling directly at the camera. Credit: Portrait Of A Voice.)

We chat to NVIDIA about AI chat and how to make it sound more human. Explore making and breaking an emotional connection with AI. And new tech is helping stroke survivors. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A colourful illuminated digital screen shows an image of a chatbot. Written text invites users to ask it anything. A human finger is interacting with the bot by pressing on the screen. Credit: Getty Images)

Is this the year when smart glasses become mainstream? Whether you need spectacles for your vision, or wear sunglasses, tech firms are hoping you'll buy their latest devices. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane has road tested some of the latest wearables on the market. From smart glasses to smart bricks! It's been a childhood favourite for decades, and now Lego is packing its colourful plastic with lights, sensors and sound synthesisers. Shiona McCallum plays with the new tech. And we hear from a Hong Kong tech company that's developing AI for neglected languages, starting with Cantonese. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A photo of Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta. He is wearing dark-rimmed smart glasses. Credit: Reuters.)

Autonomous taxis are already part of everyday life in some cities. What will it be like when self-driving car tech gets up to full speed ? And we find out how scientists are using quantum sensing technology to peer inside soldiers' brains on the firing range. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: A Zoox robotaxi containing passengers is stationary on a road. The skyscrapers of San Francisco are in the background. Credit: Zoox, Inc.)

The launch of China's DeepSeek AI tool a year ago sent shockwaves through US markets and Silicon Valley. But now Chinese AI tech is being used by more and more US companies. Our North America Technology Correspondent, Lily Jamali, tells us about it. Also this week: shoppers in Denmark are using mobile phone apps to boycott some goods from overseas. And we road-test an exoskeleton taking the physical effort out of long outdoor walks. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: An image of a mobile phone displaying the DeepSeek name and logo on the screen. In the background are flags of China and the United States of America. Credit: Reuters.)

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)