Tech Life discovers and explains the ways technology is changing our lives, wherever we are in the world. We meet the people with bright ideas for rethinking the way we work, learn and play, and get hands-on with the products they dream up. We hold tech giants to account for their huge power to affect our lives, and ask who wins, and who loses, in the technology transformation. Tech Life is your guide to a future being made, and remade, at lightning speed in front of our eyes.
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Cloudy lines in the sky, caused by aircraft engines, are called contrails. They're harmful to the environment. Now a project is underway, using AI, to reduce the amount generated. It's called Operation Blue Skies, and we speak to Google about their involvement. Also this week: we look at three very different approaches taken by manufacturers to help children and adults have a healthy relationship…
For many schools, it’s normal to post pictures of their own pupils online, either celebrating events or for marketing. But these photos could also be taken by criminals and used to make distressing deepfake AI images. We speak to the founder of a company which says it has a solution. Also on the programme, the incredible ways graphene can augment our senses – including to smell for diseases. And…
The transition from petrol to electric cars is well underway. But why are most aircraft in the skies still burning jet fuel? We look at new developments in electric aviation. Also this week: keeping children safe online - a leading international child charity talks to Tech Life. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Photo: An all-electric CX300 aircraft from BETA Technologies takes part…
AI agents carry out tasks autonomously on behalf of users. But what are they capable of, and what do we need to know about them? With AI agents in the news, we speak to an expert. Also this week: can AI make the process of recruiting employees better? And we find out about the campaign to teach AI how to represent people with limb loss. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: In the…
The nose of a dog is incredibly sensitive. And odour contains information. With the help of AI, electronic 'noses' are being used to sniff out complex odours, including diseases. Chris Vallance visits a company developing the technology. Also this week: Shiona McCallum is in Paris to see the tech that can help us understand sleep. And Liv McMahon accompanies Chris on a walk in a park. There, they…
Humanoid robots have successfully performed surgery in an operating theatre for the first time. They were remotely controlled by surgeons. An expert involved talks to Tech Life. Also this week: the man who invented the infinite scroll tells us his latest thoughts on social media. And how do you stop big cargo ships pumping greenhouse gases into the air, as they move our goods around the world? We…
What is a good age to give a child a smartphone? A community in Ireland might have the answer. In Greystones there's a voluntary agreement to wait until secondary school age. We hear from the school principal who leads the "It Takes A Village" initiative, and a local parent. Also this week: a woman tells Shiona McCallum how surviving a late-night attack inspired her to develop a wearable safety…
We look at an issue known as shadow banning. What is it? How does it work? And could it be affecting health education messages for women and young girls? Also this week: we're feeling nostalgic about the discs that hold our favourite video games. And Shiona McCallum speaks to the founder of the Global Gaming League. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn (Photo: A young sports woman…
Shiona McCallum visits a huge technology show in Paris. There, she finds some of the latest kit that could be in your home or workplace before too long. And we're talking about data centres. They are central to our modern online lives. But not everyone thinks they are great. Shiona speaks to the head of a big global data centre company about some of the challenges facing the industry. Presenter:…
A group of cybersecurity researchers found a prompt which gets past ChatGPT’s guardrails and causes it to generate some disturbing images. We unpack what this tells us about the way AI is trained, and how it could be exploited. Also on the show, after a recent episode about potholes, we were contacted by the UK’s ministry of transport. We speak to their chief scientific adviser about potholes and…
