Chatbots changing minds

Chatbots changing minds

Author: BBC World Service December 16, 2025 Duration: 26:32

A study found AI chatbots can persuade us with fake facts. We explore what this means for politics. Then we speak to author of The Web Beneath the Waves, Samanth Subramanian, about the importance of undersea cables. Plus: The scientists working together with nuns to save salamanders in a lake in Mexico.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editors: Monica Soriano & Tom Singleton

(Image: A colourful composite of a woman with her chin resting on her hands, looking confused. Behind her is an illustration of a laptop. Credit: Getty Images)


From the studios of the BBC World Service comes Tech Life, a global conversation about the tools reshaping our everyday existence. This isn't just a show about new gadgets; it's a deep dive into the human stories behind the silicon. Each episode takes you to the front lines of innovation, introducing the thinkers and tinkerers whose bright ideas are redefining how we work, learn, and connect. We go beyond the press release, getting hands-on with emerging products to understand their real-world impact. But Tech Life also tackles the harder questions, scrutinizing the immense power wielded by tech giants and examining who truly benefits-and who gets left behind-in this relentless transformation. The podcast serves as an essential guide to a future that is constantly being written, offering clarity and context on the forces that are actively making and remaking our world. Tune in for thoughtful, international reporting that connects the dots between a line of code and a change in your daily life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Tech Life
Podcast Episodes
The workers in the engine room of big tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
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…
A hologram to remember: Pam and Bill’s love story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:27
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 holog…
Sharing the road with driverless cars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Chris Vallance finds out about research to help self-driving cars communicate with other road users. Hear what happened when he came into contact with a virtual vehicle!Also this week: you've probably seen the app on TV…
The problem with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
Can we trust AI? Its answers are not always correct. And it only knows what it's been trained on, so some of its responses can contain bias. Tech experts offer us some solutions.Also this week: digital twinning is helpin…
Putting polluters in court [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
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 i…
How will AI help my doctor? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
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…
Screen time ‘rewiring our brains’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:30
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 liste…
I pretend to be OnlyFans models online [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Behind some OnlyFans models making money from chatting to paying subscribers is the unseen human labour people who pretend to be the models and chat on their behalf. We speak to a woman in the Philippines about her jobs…
Quantum computers are coming - do we need ethical guidelines? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Quantum computing promises revolutionary new discoveries. But tech revolutions can be messy. Is now the time to start thinking about how we ethically use quantum machines?Also, we find out how glass can be turned into us…
Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
AI tech is giving people their lost voices back. We chat to Yvonne Johnson, who has motor neurone disease. She's lost much of her ability to speak. But artificial intelligence is helping Yvonne to be heard again, with he…