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Technology

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes355Founded12 years ago
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Latest Episodes

Drivers and cyclists know the dangers of potholes and broken road signs. A Swedish company is fitting vehicles with cameras, and using AI to spot potential problems and defects. We speak to the CEO to find out how it works.

Also in Tech Life this we... more

An anti-snoring device is being trialled as a potential solution to sleep apnoea, a condition which affects millions and can have wide-ranging consequences on daily life. We speak to the team behind the trial. Also on the programme, two health tech e... more

We look at revelations about outsourced tech workers in Kenya, and try to find out why more than a thousand of them have been made redundant.

Also this week: are you getting the best out of artificial intelligence? Could changing "how" you communica... more

Pam Cronrath tells her deeply personal story of creating a lifelike speaking hologram of her husband, Bill, after he passed away. Pam wanted to honour a promise she'd made to Bill, for a "super wake". And so Bill's hologram appeared in front of two h... more

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People also subscribe to these shows.

FT Tech Tonic
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Recent Guests

Jamie Bartlett
Author, journalist, expert on how to talk to AI
Author, How to Talk to AI and How Not to
Episode: The workers in the engine room of big tech
Edward Fitzpatrick
CEO of Conflow, proponent of lamp-post data centres
Conflow
Episode: The workers in the engine room of big tech
Naftali Wambalo
Secretary of the Africa Tech Workers Movement, former data labeller for SAMR
Africa Tech Workers Movement
Episode: The workers in the engine room of big tech
Pam Cronrath
Widow who created Bill's hologram
Private individual
Episode: A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story
Will Dixon
Professor of digital epidemiology, University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Episode: A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story
Nushin Hashimi
Co-founder and CEO of January AI
January AI
Episode: A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story
Matt Kaufman
Chief Safety Officer for Roblox
Roblox
Episode: Sharing the road with driverless cars
William Tunstall-Pedow
CEO and founder of Unlikely AI
Unlikely AI
Episode: The problem with AI
Clara Saliba
AI Insights and Data Analyst at Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Episode: The problem with AI

Hosts

Shona McCallum
Host of Tech Life; focus on tech policy, AI, health tech, and consumer gadgets.
Chris Vallance
Presenter focusing on tech news, AI developments, and consumer technology; engages with guests across policy, industry, and research.

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 464 ratings
  • 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 Kingdom7 months 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
    9 months 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 Kingdoma year 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
  • Not a patch on Digital Planet

    I tried to get into this show but it’s just not a patch on the (stupidly) cancelled Digital Planet.

    Fortunately, Gareth and the team took their rejection by the BBC on the chin and have started up their own replacement for DP called Somewhere on Earth - The Global Tech Podcast.

    It’s brilliant, has most of the same team, and just feels like the old wonderful Digital Planet.

    I strongly suggest that any fans of DP look it up and subscribe to the podcasts!

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    SamQ
    Australia2 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Some critics cite perceived bias and inconsistent download availability.
Audience appreciates concise, bite-sized episodes with practical takeaways.
Positive feedback highlights strong guest lineups and accessible explanations.
Listeners want deeper technical discussion and credible guest expertise.
Critiques point to variable production quality and perceived redundancy.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#52
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#163
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#225
Italy/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#41
Saudi Arabia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#54
Chile/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#64
New Zealand/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Sharing the road with driverless cars
Q: In the case of autonomous vehicles, there won't be a driver. So how is that communication going to happen?
The researchers are exploring visual signals like LED rings and animations, as well as auditory cues, to let pedestrians, runners, and cyclists infer when a vehicle will yield or stop.
The problem with AI
Q: What would you say is the main solution to making AI outputs more trustworthy?
The long-term solution is technological advancement in symbolic approaches to AI that can deliver robustness and explainability, alongside setting realistic expectations for current AI capabilities in business contexts.
The problem with AI
Q: So who's building these systems and how reliable are they?
William Tunstall-Pedow explains that many AI systems are built on a mix of traditional symbolic techniques and modern statistical methods, with ongoing efforts to make them more reliable and explainable, though trust remains an issue in high-stakes use cases.
How will AI help my doctor?
Q: What makes medicine uniquely difficult for AI compared to other professions?
Medicine combines high-stakes decision making, regulation, and nuanced human interaction, so AI must operate under strict oversight and always be supervised by clinicians to ensure accuracy and ethical considerations.
Putting polluters in court
Q: Has attribution science actually been used in a court case, and what happened?
Yes. One famous case involved a Peruvian farmer challenging a German energy company over glacier melt linked to emissions; attribution science helped build the causal link between emissions and climate impacts, influencing the legal narrative even though the case was ultimately dismissed for lack of concrete evidence specific to the plaintiff's home, it set a precedent for climate liability.

Audience Metrics

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About Tech Life

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

Tech Life delivers concise, topical tech news and thoughtful discussions on how innovations shape work, education, health, and daily life. Episodes frequently cover AI advances, autonomous vehicles, wearables, smart home tech, and the societal impacts of fast-paced digital change. The show stands out for interviewing a mix of researchers, industry leaders, policy minds, and tech evangelists, often tying practical consumer tech with broader implications. Listeners are likely tech professionals and enthusiasts who want approachable, real-world context on cutting-edge developments and what they mean for businesses and society.

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?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Tech Life, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Tech Life?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Tech Life, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

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. FT Tech Tonic
3. Science Weekly
4. More or Less
5. Discovery

How many episodes of Tech Life are there?

Tech Life launched 12 years ago and published 355 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.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Tech Life?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Tech Life. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Tech Life?

Recent guests on Tech Life include:

1. Jamie Bartlett
2. Edward Fitzpatrick
3. Naftali Wambalo
4. Pam Cronrath
5. Will Dixon
6. Nushin Hashimi
7. Matt Kaufman
8. William Tunstall-Pedow

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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