The workers in the engine room of big tech

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 changing "how" you communicate with AI make a difference? We speak to an author and put his recommendations to an AI test. And we hear from a company turning lamp-posts into data centres.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: The words "Meta AI" are displayed on a smartphone screen. The phone is resting on a laptop keyboard. Credit: Reuters)

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 hologram appeared in front of two hundred guests at the event, and surprised them with a verbal greeting.Also this week: if you've had a knee operation and have a smart device monitoring your health, the doctor might want to see you now. And virtual glucose monitoring tech for diabetics - with the help of AI.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: Pam Cronrath is standing beside the hologram of her husband, Bill. Credit: George Johnsen)

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 news recently, but how does MarineTraffic know which ships are doing what in the Strait of Hormuz? And Shiona McCallum checks out changes to Roblox age checks for children.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Illustration of a driverless car on a main road approaching a pedestrian crossing, with people walking in front of and around the side of the car and sensors detectimg its surroundings. Credit: Getty Images)

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 helping the restoration of a three hundred year old palace. And the joy of mundane video gaming!Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A person is typing on a laptop computer. Digital icons for AI, ticks (checkmarks) and warning signs float above the keyboard. Credit: Getty Images)

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 in AI is causing a boom in electronic waste. And as astronauts head back to the Moon, we meet a veteran NASA space robot that's on a mission to return home.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Smoke billows from a chimney at a coal-fired power station in Eastern Europe. The light of the sun is obscured by the dense dark smoke clouds. Credit: Reuters)

Humans are returning to the Moon - hear all about it on the BBC’s space podcast. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon, with a new episode every day. Starts on Monday 30 March 2026. Search for 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Follow or subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode. Nasa plans to return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. Its Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts to loop around the Moon. They are planning to go further from Earth than any human in history. The story of Artemis II will be told by space scientist, Maggie Aderin and British astronaut, Tim Peake, with regular guest, US space journalist Kristin Fisher. 13 Minutes is the BBC’s space podcast, telling epic space stories, including the first Moon landing, Apollo 13 and the space shuttle. Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

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 is trying to make female health tech more accessible and affordable. And we have a good news story that originated on the darker side of the internet.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of a female doctor sitting at a desk in a hospital lab. She is using AI technology on a laptop computer. Credit: Getty Images)

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 listener got in touch to tell us his own moving story of hearing his father’s voice for the first time in 50 years.Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones and Vuyelo Ndlovu Presenter: Shiona McCallum(Image: A baby holds a smartphone, looking at the screen while lying in bed. Credit: Getty Images.)

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 as a “chatter’. Also on the programme, scientists using AI to help advance their research. And the White House has been cutting real footage from the war with Iran with clips from video games. We analyse their strategy.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones

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 useful data storage that will last for thousands of years. And what can science fiction tell us about our spacefaring future? Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An image of a quantum computer inside a high-tech facility. The computer has metallic silver and gold-coloured tubing to assist in cooling. Credit: Getty Images)