How the tech bros of AI are breaking our democracy

How the tech bros of AI are breaking our democracy

Author: Global May 29, 2026 Duration: 50:31

In his essay this week on the way forward for Britain, Tony Blair posits that "governing in the age of AI will be the principal challenge. And opportunity" for our political class.

Karen Hao certainly agrees that it will be one of the defining challenges of our lives. An MIT grad, she started off in Silicon Valley, before turning to journalism and becoming one of the most authoritative reporters on the new world of AI. She is deeply alarmed by the AI race, and by the companies - and men - leading the pursuit.

Her book, 'Empire of AI', contends that these new giants of industry have weaponised the sales pitch around AI to extract immense resources to swell their bottom line, and erode democracies around the world in the process.

Lewis sat down with her to discuss the acutely political nature of AI, the new, uniquely powerful empires being built, and how - and if - democracies can wrestle back control.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/


Every weekday afternoon, Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, and Lewis Goodall gather to make sense of the noise. Their The News Agents isn't a simple bulletin; it's a conversation between three of the UK's most experienced journalists who have seen the machinery of government and media from the inside. This daily podcast from Global focuses on the forces shaping our world, dissecting the headlines from Westminster and beyond with a sharp eye for what really matters. You'll hear them pull apart political strategies, question the official narrative, and trace the connections between today's breaking story and its deeper roots. What sets this show apart is their collective tone-a blend of genuine expertise, natural scepticism, and the occasional necessary laugh at the absurdities of the news cycle. They provide context where others just provide clips, aiming to answer the persistent "why" behind the "what." Tuning into this podcast feels like getting a direct, unfiltered briefing from colleagues who know the landscape intimately, making the complex flow of daily events not just comprehensible but genuinely engaging. It’s analysis designed for anyone who wants to move past the soundbites.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The News Agents
Podcast Episodes
Could Labour's leadership chaos make Ed Miliband PM? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:43
A key cabinet member, Hilary Benn, was asked this lunch time if Wes Streeting was still the Health Secretary. Astonishingly he said he did not know. Is Streeting about to launch a leadership campaign? is Starmer preparin…
Starmer refuses to go: Crazy? Or courageous? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:36
Anyone who thought Keir Starmer was about to succumb to pressure from the 80 strong list of MPs who turned against him were in for a shock this morning when they found a PM defiant and refusing to even discuss a leadersh…
Starmer's make or break speech: Will it save him? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:57
It's always risky when a Prime Minister's speech becomes billed as a 'reset' and 'make or break' but Keir Starmer's address this morning was exactly that.Facing a surprise possible leadership challenge from backbencher C…
Election Special: Is it change or die for Labour? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:05
The morning after elections, political parties send their leaders out to areas where they outperformed expectations to try and sell a narrative about their results, even on the bruising nights.Such was the scale of Labou…
SPECIAL REPORT: An election like no other in Birmingham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:59
It’s polling day in elections across Great Britain. Labour is braced for a battering, at the hands of insurgent forces on every side. Birmingham is a microcosm of that picture: an unloved Labour administration dealing wi…
Does Donald Trump remember who started the war in Iran? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:51
Donald Trump launched "Project Freedom" over the bank holiday weekend - a "humanitarian gesture", aimed at guaranteeing the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz still stubbornly being controlled by Iran.The…
Why has Nigel Farage taken £5m from a crypto billionaire? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:25
In the last weeks, the funding of the Reform party has attracted more and more attention. This is a party which tells us they are heading to Downing street, a party tipped to the top the poll in next week’s English local…
How Trump's failed war in Iran screwed Britain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:04
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Report might sound like a dry and dusty economic report - and often it is - but today's made for truly shocking reading for Britain.Its analysis shows living standards are already fall…