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.
The CEO of ARM on why its new chips focus on security and artificial intelligence. Plus we hear about two exciting projects to bring quantum computing out of the lab. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: ARM chief executive Simon Segars, credit: Getty Images).
The tech giant says it aims to rebalance world chip supply from Asia to the US and Europe. Plus, what can President Biden do about hackers backed by Russia and China? And is crowdtasking the next part of the gig economy to face calls for better workers’ rights? Presented by Joe Tidy, with BBC tech reporter Cristina Criddle. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Credit: Getty Images).
The ride-hailing giant says it will pay UK drivers a minimum wage and other benefits. Will other gig-economy firms be forced to follow suit? Plus how cryptocurrency is a craze in India but faces a government ban. And why using email could make workers “more stupid” through the day. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.
How the boom in 'non-fungible tokens' helped one artist become a multimillionaire. Mike Winkelmann - also known as Beeple - explains why his art has sold for $69m at auction despite being freely available to download. Also on the programme: A global security breach of Microsoft's email software hits thousands of businesses. We hear from the BBC's cybersecurity specialist Joe Tidy on why so-called 'zero-day' vulnerabilities are so scary. And Onyinye Ough from the organisation Step Up Nigeria tell...
A close look at how the latest silicon chips are made, what they’re used for, and why they represent “the new space race” at the heart of US-China rivalry. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC Online tech editor Leo Kelion. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Illustration with the flags of China and the USA behind a silicon chip, Credit: Getty Images).
Facebook and the Australian government reach a compromise over a new law requiring tech giants to pay publishers for news content. Is it a model for other countries to follow? Plus, how water-soluble circuit boards might help reduce e-waste. And have internet influencers been saviours of many businesses during lockdown? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill.
The social giant takes down news content ahead of a new law that would force it to pay media publishers. Plus, are digital vaccine certificates or passports essential for a return to normal life or a bad idea that could entrench inequality? And yet more evidence that the global auto industry is racing to electric vehicles. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter David Molloy. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Credit: Getty Images).
The buzz around the cryptocurrency grows after Elon Musk’s Tesla reveals it has bought $1.5bn worth of Bitcoin. But what’s its impact on global energy use? Plus how people in China have been using the Clubhouse audio social app to discuss usually banned topics. And new figures on the performance of the Covid-19 contact tracing app used in England and Wales. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Representation of a Bitcoin plug...
Jeff Bezos's Amazon and Jack Ma's Alibaba report bumper profits, but both online shopping giants face challenges. Rory Cellan-Jones speaks to the BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani about Jack Ma's run-in with Chinese regulators, while BBC technology reporter Jane Wakefield assess the impact of Jeff Bezos's decision to step away from day-to-day running of Amazon. Plus we hear from Eliot Higgins, founder of online investigators Bellingcat, about how the internet has changed intelli...
The Iron Man star tells us how he wants to help tackle the climate crisis. Plus, how small investors on a Reddit forum took on Wall Street and won - for now at least. And have your shopping habits changed in the last year? A retail expert tells us how the pandemic has shown which brands have managed to adapt to the online revolution. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Robert Downey Jr. against a pink and yellow gradient back...
Will the new US President bring a new era in relations with the tech giants? Plus, as schools remain closed in many places, how online learning is helping educate children. And why a global semiconductor shortage is hitting carmakers. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with senior BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: President Joe Biden against a pink/ yellow gradient background, Credit: Getty Images).
The social platform favoured by Donald Trump supporters loses its online home after Amazon Web Services withdraws its cloud hosting. Plus, how the pandemic has fired the imagination of gadget-makers exhibiting at CES. And why the tech behind apps to help women track their menstrual cycles is leaving many users disappointed. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC Online tech team Chris Fox, Leo Kelion, and Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Composite image of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and ...
Social giants act after the President praises supporters who broke into the US Congress building. Plus, how Singapore’s Covid-19 contact tracing data may be accessed by police despite earlier assurances it would only be used to control the pandemic. And we look ahead to next week’s CES, the biggest annual tech event. Can it deliver in a virtual format? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Donald Trump rallies supporters to ma...
Rory Cellan-Jones and guests on how tech will shape the coming twelve months. Featuring BT innovation researcher Dr Nicola Millard, and BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. With contributions from remote working consultant Dave Coplin, futurist Peter Schwartz, and Kate Bevan, editor of Which? Computing. Produced by Jat Gill. Image: Stock photo of a woman runner checking and logging health data. Credit: Getty Images.
Test your knowledge of the year’s biggest tech stories with Rory Cellan-Jones and the Tech Tent team. With BBC tech reporters Chris Fox, Zoe Kleinman, David Molloy, and Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. Image: Stock photo of a man sitting outdoors in front of a festive background, listening to earphones. Credit: Getty Images.
Key government agencies are among thousands of organisations believed to have been hit using compromised network software from SolarWinds. Plus Facebook goes to war with Apple over its plans to restrict the targeting of iPhone users by advertisers. And the man whose school photograph became a viral meme without him knowing it. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.
US regulators launch lawsuits accusing the giant of buying rivals to stifle competition. Plus, does Uber’s sale of its autonomous driving division indicate a roadblock for driverless tech? And why a paper by leading AI ethics researcher Dr Timnit Gebru has caused a storm at her employer Google. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC cybersecurity reporter Joe Tidy. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington...
Will a digital means of showing you’ve been immunised be the passport to living normal everyday life? Plus, what does China’s new law banning the export of goods deemed important for national security mean for Western tech giants? And we attend Web Summit - virtually - to consider whether the future of giant conferences is online. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: A health worker processes a sample for a Covid test in New Delhi, ...
Does the electric car pioneer’s technology justify its stock value exceeding that of the major traditional carmakers combined? Plus, will Apple’s new M1 silicon chips end the decades-long dominance of Intel and Microsoft in computing? And have you received an Amazon delivery you didn’t order? We find out what’s going on. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Tesla Model 3 cars at the company’s Shanghai factory, Credit: REUTERS/ Aly Song...
The UK government says new petrol and diesel-powered cars will be banned by 2030. Will developments in battery tech deliver electric vehicles for the mass-market? Plus how Kenya is looking to wind energy to bring cleaner power to off-grid communities. And has the pandemic permanently changed how we look at screen-time? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Electric Mini Cooper charging on a central London street, Credit: BBC)....
Facebook faces more criticism for its handling of misinformation around the US election, this time by members of Joe Biden's team. Could the next US president lead a crackdown on the social media giant? We speak to Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies at the University of Virginia and author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. Also on the show: Apple launches a range of new laptops, but it's the chips inside them that are causing a stir. We ask Ra...
Facebook and Twitter warn President Trump’s post-election remarks may be misleading. Plus, what a verbal battle between chatbots tells us about machine learning. And the plan to beam 5G connectivity from hydrogen-powered drones. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC reporters Jane Wakefield and Marianna Spring. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the 2020 presidential election at the White House in Washington DC, Credit: Carlos Barria/ Reuters)....
US politicians clash over how social media firms will moderate content in future. Plus, how inkjet printing tech could help ramp-up Covid-19 testing and research. And a solar-powered solution to a shortage of medical oxygen in developing countries. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporters James Clayton, Leo Kelion, and Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies remotely to the US Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Credit: E...
What changes will a new Presidential term bring for the tech we use? Plus, how TikTok may be influential in the vote, despite paid political ads being banned. And what the social platforms are doing to try to stem disinformation ahead of polling day. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC reporters James Clayton, Sophia Smith Galer, and Marianna Spring. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Combination of images showing Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the first Presidential debate, Credit: Jim Watson/ S...
Apple pushes 5G as a key selling point of its new iPhone 12. But is it useful anywhere right now? We get the view from South Korea, where 5G has been available for 18 months, and from Ghana where the previous 4G network is just rolling out. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Illustration of the iPhone 12, Credit: Apple/ EPA).
Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are compared to oil barons by US lawmakers. But the firms insist they are not monopolies and they operate in a competitive market. Plus, Facebook takes further action to ban content relating to the QAnon conspiracy theory across its platforms. And the opportunities for women whose jobs have been hit by the pandemic to retrain as programmers. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Congresswoman Val Deming...
Google pushes affordability and 5G for its flagship Pixel 5 mobile handset. But can it compete in a crowded middle-market? Plus, has quantum computing reached a point at which it is genuinely useful for businesses? And the push-back against China-led plans to replace the internet’s underlying protocols. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Press photo of a woman using the Pixel 5 smartphone, Credit: Google).
Rory Cellan-Jones examines how misinformation spreads across online platforms. Plus, why Tesla’s Elon Musk is promising a $25,000 fully autonomous electric car. And former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of Facebook’s new oversight board, on how the body will handle controversies relating to the US election. With BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Anti coronavirus-lockdown protest in Trafalgar Square, London, August 2020. Credit: Richard Baker ...
After shunning Microsoft, will a deal with Oracle work? The BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani joins Rory Cellan-Jones and Jane Wakefield in the tent to discuss what the US and China want out of a deal for TikTok. Plus: An earthquake in the computer chip industry - why selling chip designer Arm to US firm Nvidia is proving controversial. And as Facebook launches a new VR headset and PlayStation and Xbox go head to head, what is the future of gaming? Keza MacDonald, the Guardian's...
Rory Cellan-Jones visits the German capital Berlin to see how the tech sector is faring post-lockdown. Plus how TikTok has been struggling to remove a disturbing suicide video. And we discover the games tech being used to create virtual art galleries. With BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: An employee wearing a face mask sets up smartphones at the IFA tech fair in Berlin, Sept 2020. Credit: Michele Tantussi/ Reuters).
