Rephonic
Artwork for Tech Life
Artificial Intelligence
Climate Change
VPN
Mental Health
Kenya
Social Media
Electric Vehicles
E-Waste
Chatbots
Cyber Security
Data Privacy
Aqua Eye
Maternal Health
Global Tech Competition
Technology Innovation
Norway
Agri-Tech
Vertical Farm
Generative AI
Cryptocurrencies

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes351Founded12 years ago
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Artwork for Tech Life

Latest Episodes

Climate change is making devastating extreme weather more common. Tech Life's Yasmin Morgan-Griffiths explores the science that could help communities take polluters to court.

Also this week: we look at whether the boom in AI is causing a boom in el... more

Humans are returning to the Moon - hear all about it on the BBC’s space podcast. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon, with a new episode every day. Starts on Monday 30 March 2026. Search for 13 Minutes ... more

We discuss how AI could help health professionals work better, detect diseases earlier and even change the way people around the world look after themselves.

Also this week: Shiona McCallum interviews a businesswoman who is trying to make female he... more

We dig through the evidence on the effect of screen time on babies and young children, with the help of some parents and experts. And after hearing our story of a woman who got her voice back with the help of AI, a listener got in touch to tell us hi... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Jenny McCormick
Chief Experience Officer at Tony's
Tony's
Episode: Screen time ‘rewiring our brains’
Kevin Weill
Vice President of Science at OpenAI
OpenAI
Episode: I pretend to be OnlyFans models online
Christian Köster
Associate Professor in Computer Science, University of Oxford
Oxford University
Episode: I pretend to be OnlyFans models online
Aggie Hurst
Expert in international relations and author of Politics of Play
Independent scholar / Author
Episode: I pretend to be OnlyFans models online
Natasha Orton
Dr Natasha Orton, background in philosophy and physics, principal author of the National Quantum Computing Centre's Responsible and Ethical Quantum Computing Action Plan
National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC)
Episode: Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines?
Alastair Reynolds
Science fiction writer and former scientist at the European Space Agency
Writer
Episode: Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines?
Ilya Kazansky
Representative from S-Photonics discussing glass data storage
S-Photonics
Episode: Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines?
Richard Black
Research Director for Project Silica at Microsoft Research UK
Microsoft Research
Episode: Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines?
Yvonne Johnson
A mother of three living with motor neurone disease, who has regained her voice through AI technology.
Episode: Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind

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 462 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 Kingdom6 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
    8 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 Zealanda year 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
#73
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#206
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#111
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#209
Italy/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#28
India/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#33
Ireland/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines?
Q: So you mentioned harms. What are the potential harms that could be caused by quantum computers that we should be thinking about and factoring in the ethical considerations about now?
Harms include unintended consequences and algorithmic biases, inequitable access to technology, and most critically the risk that quantum capabilities could undermine current cryptographic protections, compromising long-held data security; the response is to anticipate these issues with safeguards and to steer the technology toward broad societal benefit.
Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind
Q: Where do you see this technology going?
Richard mentioned there is still room for improvement and emphasized the need to advocate for people to benefit from evolving AI technologies.
Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind
Q: What do your children think of the technology?
Yvonne's children were overwhelmed and felt it was amazing to keep her original speaking voice alive.
Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind
Q: How has the technology impacted your quality of life?
Yvonne stated that her AI-created voice has positively impacted her life by allowing her to communicate like herself, not like a robot.
Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind
Q: How did it feel to lose your ability to speak?
Yvonne expressed that losing her voice took away part of her identity and made her feel isolated and sad.

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 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. Discovery
3. CrowdScience
4. Unexpected Elements
5. FT Tech Tonic

How many episodes of Tech Life are there?

Tech Life launched 12 years ago and published 351 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. Jenny McCormick
2. Kevin Weill
3. Christian Köster
4. Aggie Hurst
5. Natasha Orton
6. Alastair Reynolds
7. Ilya Kazansky
8. Richard Black

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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