The People vs Tech
Author Jamie Bartlett returns to the studio to discuss his new book The People vs Tech. Is democracy being fundamentally undermined by the advance of technology? Will we be asking Alexa who to vote for in the near future…
Government vs The Robots
Ever wondered what happens when the slow, deliberate machinery of government collides with the relentless pace of technological change? That’s the central tension explored in Government vs The Robots, a fortnightly podcast from Little Atoms hosted by Jonathan Tanner. This isn't just speculative fiction; it's a grounded, often surprising look at the very real ways emerging tech is set to reshape power, policy, and public life. Think of it as a necessary briefing for the future, where the corridors of Westminster meet the algorithms of tomorrow. Each episode, Jonathan is joined by a rotating panel of thinkers and practitioners-experts he genuinely enjoys engaging with-to unpack topics from AI legislation and surveillance to digital democracy and the ethics of automation. The conversations are accessible but never superficial, designed for anyone curious about where politics must go as technology races ahead. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that cuts through the hype, asking not just what technology can do, but what it should do within the frameworks that govern us all. This podcast is hosted on Acast.
Episodes
Checking your facts
This week we talk to Mevan Babakar. Mevan is Head of Automated Factchecking at the factcheking charity Fullfact. In this episode we talk about why facts are important to democracy, the prospects for realtime factchecking…
Blockchains and Bitcoins
Rhian Lewis is a former Journalist for The Times. Today she works as a programmer having founded a cryptocurrency portfolio tracker and established the London Women in Bitcoin network. In this episode we talk about why R…
The Gig Economy
High tech firms, low wage jobs. What is life like working on zero hours for some of the world's biggest tech companies? James Bloodworth spent 6 months working undercover in low wage Britain for employers including Uber…
Future public services
We talk to former Uber, Treasury and Policy Exchange man Chris Yiu about how he sees the prospects for public service delivery in an age of ever increasing technological possibilities. Chris now heads up technology polic…
More United
Is it time to move beyond party politics to build a better Britain? This week we talk to Bess Mayhew, CEO of More United. More United is a cross-party crowdfunding platform which supports MPs who subscribe to a series of…
New Power
How do ideas spread in today's world? We talk to Henry Timms, one of the authors of the book New Power about why we need to rethink the way power flows through society. It's well established that people no longer trust i…
Data for Development Festival
It's bumper show this week with Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, the UK's top government statistician John Pullinger, Angelica Palma from the Government of Colombia and Argy Kavvada of NASA. We explore whether it is hard to…
The future of food
Will we print the ready meal of the future at home? What role does nanotechnology play in our processed food? What more can government do to promote transparency and protect consumers? In a break from the intense politic…
Are you good at the internet?
Do you think you are good at the internet? this week we talk to Rachel Coldicutt, CEO of the internet think tank Doteveryone about how much Britain really knows about the internet. We cover the perils of public wifi, the…
