Is 2026 the year of the AI backlash?

When The Times foreign correspondent Marc Bennetts moved to Russia in 1997, there was hope for a new future for the country. But over the next 25 years, he witnessed the rise of Vladimir Putin and the erosion of civil liberties. In his new book, The Descent: Witnessing Russia’s Spiral into Madness Under Putin, Marc charts how one man remade Russia in his own paranoid image.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Lies and fear: my life under the Kremlin’s propaganda machineFurther listening: ‘I took a grenade blast to escape’: Russian deserters speak to The TimesClips: Channel One Russia, Educational Video Group, NBC News, ITN, Times Now World, Dot’s Eye. Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Sunday Times investigation has found that, in Scotland, there are claims that the SNP has, in effect, shut down criticism from the charity and voluntary sectors because of a system that leaves them umbilically tied to its political objectives and fearing grave consequences if they step out of line.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Dan Sanderson, Scottish political editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Taryn Siegel.We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: How the SNP spends billions ‘to buy loyalty from charities’Clips: 5 News, Parliament TV.Illustration: Tony Bell.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The countdown has begun for the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission around the Moon, the first manned mission there in more than 50 years. Their voyage around our nearest neighbour will pave the way for a lunar landing and, eventually, a Moon base. But why is there suddenly rekindled interest in moon exploration, and could this bring humans toward the ultimate goal of reaching Mars?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut.Kaya Burgess, science and religious affairs correspondent for The Times.Host: Manveen RanaProducer: Julia WebsterWe want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Artemis II: mission to the MoonFurther listening: The Epstein Files, AI journalism and the future of truth - The Sunday StoryClips: NASA, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, PBS, Space Age Archive, Associated Press, CriticalPast, Cosmosphere.Photo: Kathia Mestanza, Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has threatened that the US would “obliterate Kharg Island” if a deal with Tehran was not reached. The US president has suggested he’d put boots on the ground to seize control of Iran's key oil export terminal. So why does the island matter so much? How would a ground invasion work? And just how risky is it to the US troops involved?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: George Grylls, Washington correspondent, The Times.Sir Simon Mayall, ex-Lieutenant General in the British army and author.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Harry Stott, Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Can the US take Kharg Island? How an invasion could play outFurther listening: Q&A: What we know (and don't know) about Trump's Iran talksClips: CBC, FOX, BBC, C-SPAN.Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war, was one of the most controversial picks in Trump’s cabinet. But as Trump’s foreign adventures have come to define his second term, Hegseth is not just more visible, he’s become the Iran war’s main cheerleader. So who is he?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist, the Times and the Sunday Times. Host: Manveen RanaProducers: Harry Stott and Micaela ArnesonWe want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Pete Hegseth, the former soldier and TV host selling Trump’s warFurther listening: Q&A: What we know (and don't know) about Trump's Iran talksClips: FOX, BBC, Forbes, CBS, SKY.Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As AI seeps into every corner of art, film and social media, up next, it's podcasts. An AI-generated show called The Epstein Files topped the Apple series charts last week, bringing you the very latest on the colossal 3.5 million documents, in a time frame that most journalists could only dream of. Even the hosts are AI. But does it work? And what does AI-led journalism mean for the future of investigations and the search for truth? We tracked down its creator.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHost: Manveen RanaProducer: Robert WallaceWe want to hear from you - email: [email protected]: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Channel 5 broadcast a dramatisation of the downfall of former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, with Martin Clunes in the lead role. The programme traces the events that led to his sudden and very public fall from grace. Andrew Billen, veteran journalist who specialises in interviews with celebrities, politicians and writers at The Times, met Edwards on several occasions, including the day before his world came crashing down. In a compelling piece published this week, Billen reflects on the man he thought he knew.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryRead by: Andrew Billen, features writer, The Times.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: I’ve met Huw Edwards, here’s what the TV drama gets right (and wrong)Photo: Getty ImagesThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Polymarket and Kalshi have become two of the fastest-growing online platforms in the prediction market, hosting bets where people can wager on the outcome of events, including on the conflict in Iran. But some observers have raised concerns that unusually precise, well-timed bets could point to insider dealings. So what exactly are prediction markets? And what does it mean for society when you can bet on almost anything?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Chris Stokel-Walker, technology journalist and author.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Sophie McNulty & Julia Webster.We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Dollars and death threats: the dark side of prediction marketsFurther listening: How AI helped Trump attack IranClips: FRENCH 24 English, CNN, 60 Minutes, CBS News, Fox 10 Phoenix, iSpot, The Times, Coinbase. Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the war with Iran rumbles on, are ceasefire talks back on or is that ‘fake news’? What’s in America’s 15 point peace plan? Could an Iranian missile reach the UK? And how long can Iran keep fighting? Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones are here to answer your questions, in our monthly Q&A. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHosts: Manveen Rana and Luke Jones. Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: Iran war latest: US ‘negotiating with itself’, Tehran claimsFurther listening: Inside Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah wage warPhoto: Getty Images and The Times' designer Dana Chan.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of our county lines series, we hear how county lines drug gangs are continuing to shift their business model to avoid detection. Policing minister, Sarah Jones, explains how the government is planning to fight back. Plus, The Times’ crime editor David Woode sits down with The Sunday Times’ northern editor David Collins to discuss what they've learnt about the inner workings of county lines gangs.This is episode five of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHost: David WoodeProducers: Kate Lamble, Edward Drummond, and Taryn SiegelWe want to hear from you - email: [email protected] more: I joined the police on a county lines crackdownPhoto: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.