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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 g... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes374Founded13 years ago
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Artwork for Tech Life

Latest Episodes

AI is developing rapidly. What should parents and children make of it all? And how can young people navigate school and future careers when AI is becoming increasingly important? We speak to an expert who has written a new book about these issues.

A... more

Lots of people make a living from social media posts. But some have been targeted by an international extortion scheme. It involves a flood of false copyright infringement claims. It only stops if the extorter is paid. Imran Rahman-Jones has the stor... more

English is the most widely-used language online. Internet material helps to train AI tools. So where does that leave people whose native language barely features on the web? We find out about a project helping AI to work in more of the world’s langua... more

ARIA is the UK's research and development funding agency that's built to unlock new scientific and technological developments. We speak to ARIA's new boss about their work.

Also this week: the tech that's helping disabled racing drivers to achieve t... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Harriet King
From Valorant; AI/traffic tech expert
Valorant
Episode: The copyright extortionists
Juan La Vista-Ferrer
Microsoft's Chief Data Scientist, leads Microsoft's AI for Good Lab
Microsoft
Episode: What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Rita Barbosa
CEO and co-founder of Guardian Labs
Guardian Labs
Episode: What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Dor Schooler
CEO and founder of Intuition Robotics
Intuition Robotics
Episode: What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Roland Pilgrims
Founder and CEO of Nobe
Nobe
Episode: What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Zach Myers
Director of Research at CER, Centre on Regulation in Europe
CER
Episode: What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Kathleen Fisher
Head of ARIA (Advanced Research Invention Agency)
ARIA
Episode: Unlocking tech breakthroughs
Aaron Morgan
Disabled racing driver
Team Brit
Episode: Unlocking tech breakthroughs
Callum Smith
Driver with Team Brit
Team Brit
Episode: Unlocking tech breakthroughs

Hosts

Chris Vallance
Host of Tech Life; BBC World Service contributor; long-standing technology journalist.
Shona McCallum
Co-host and journalist with a focus on tech life segments; experienced reporter within the program.

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 465 ratings
  • Ads are too loud

    Don’t mind ads but don’t understand why the volume increase when ads play , instead of just listening to the ads I skip them because of the annoyance. I enjoy the podcast but whoever manages the ad insertion need to fix the volume issue

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    mentesalertas
    United States2 months ago
  • Dreadful BBC drivel, shame.

    This podcast replaced Digital Planet which was very interesting and had great presenters until it started to push the BBC’s propaganda. Tech Life has taken over and it’s now just wall-to-wall boring chat with lifeless presenters. The BBC pushing their political views and dressing it up as a Tech show. Unsubscribed.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    colwright3
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • There's a real potential here based on the topics chosen, but sadly there is virtually no depth of analysis or questioning of the subject on the part of the hosts beyond the most perfunctory and introductory of levels.

    Most of the episodes are instead taken up by tangential personal stories from the presenters coupled with listener mail which is read to everyone with their thanks, but so far none has been actually investigated or answered.

    Podcast Addict
    3
    MCMH
    a year ago
  • Very poor journalism

    Disappointing from the BBC. Nothing new, no insights, no in depth reporting, just very basic tech stories that are either old or reported much better elsewhere. Recommend “Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast” instead.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Vilnius girl
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Hahahaha!

    What a shame - after more than four years this BBC podcast has received only 11 ratings.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    phuk azure
    New Zealand2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate concise, topical episodes with expert perspectives.
Discerning and practical tech coverage, with strong guest expertise.
Mixed audience sentiment around production quality and accessibility across platforms.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#236
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#36
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#161
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#81
France/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#100
Italy/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#138
Australia/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What if AI doesn’t speak your language?
Q: And what problem are you trying to solve with your LINGUA initiative?
The problem is access—without AI in their own language, people risk falling behind in the digital and AI-enabled world, creating a digital divide that Lingua aims to close by collecting data in underrepresented languages and enabling training of models.
Too young to scroll?
Q: I started off by asking her to take me back to that night, what happened and how did it shape the idea for the Eno Badge?
Ina described being surrounded and attacked, feeling powerless, and the moment of decision to explore AI as a way to augment human response in danger, aiming to create a wearable that could detect danger cues and provide an immediate signal while sending live evidence to authorities.
What happens when health information is shadow banned?
Q: What is shadow banning and why does it matter for health information online?
Shadow banning hides content from most users or limits its reach, which can suppress legitimate health information and harm awareness and timely access to advice.
Microsoft's big quantum bet
Q: Do you think the shine is wearing off AI or is public perception shifting?
Marcus points to a backlash in public perception, explains that enthusiasm has cooled as people see limitations and economic realities, but argues progress will continue with increasingly specialized, less chatbot-focused tools.
Microsoft's big quantum bet
Q: What worries you most about AI and large language models?
Marcus highlights threats to democracy, disinformation, cybercrime, and the potential erosion of social and educational systems, while acknowledging some positive uses in science and coding.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Tech Life

What is Tech Life about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Tech Life explores how technology reshapes work, learning, and daily life across the globe, featuring hands-on product stories, industry debates, and interviews with researchers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners. Episodes commonly cover emergent tech like AI, autonomous systems, health tech, and sustainable innovations, often pairing technical depth with practical implications for policy, business, and everyday users. A standout trait is bringing diverse expert perspectives—from academia, industry, and activist communities—into accessible conversations, sometimes spotlighting user-centered tech and ethical considerations. This mix makes it valuable for listeners who want timely tech context, actionable insights, and thoughtful discussions a... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Tech Life?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Tech Life. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Tech Life and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Tech Life get?

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How many subscribers and views does Tech Life have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Tech Life has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Tech Life?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Tech Life:

1. BBC Inside Science
2. CrowdScience
3. Business Daily
4. Health Check
5. Discovery

How many episodes of Tech Life are there?

Tech Life launched 13 years ago and published 374 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Tech Life?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Tech Life?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Tech Life from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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What guests have appeared on Tech Life?

Recent guests on Tech Life include:

1. Harriet King
2. Juan La Vista-Ferrer
3. Rita Barbosa
4. Dor Schooler
5. Roland Pilgrims
6. Zach Myers
7. Kathleen Fisher
8. Aaron Morgan

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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