Tech Tent

We hear from two voice over artists, based in New York City, who have filed a lawsuit against an AI company they claim stole their voices.Also on Tech Life this week:A device invented by Canadian university students is shaking up the milk business for small-scale dairy farmers in Africa. And an engineer tells us his robust plan to make tech easier to fix.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An actress records her voice into a microphone. Credit: Andrey Popov/Getty Images)

An artificial intelligence tool is helping to detect chest issues, which could indicate lung cancer, in a matter of seconds. It's now in use in forty countries around the world. It's called Annalise AI, and we speak to the co-founder of the company behind it.Also on Tech Life:In Kenya, Direct Air Capture technology is being designed, manufactured and deployed in the vast Rift valley. And the commute of the future is being mapped out and planned today - find out about digital twinning.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A doctor examines an X-ray image on a tablet. Credit: Athima Tongloom/Getty Images)

We take a look at a recent announcement from the International Olympic Committee that the inaugural Olympic esports games will be hosted in Saudi Arabia next year. While many have welcomed the competitive video gaming event, others have questioned the choice of host, because of the Kingdom's human rights record. The summer Olympics have come to a close in Paris, so we speak to the man behind the huge television operation there, using new tech to deliver the action to you - from almost every possible angle.From China to Mexico - how online shopping is changing the economics of restaurant food deliveries in a mega city. And what does it take to keep Wikipedia up-to-date ? We find out.Presenter: Alasdair Keane Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A competitor takes part in a motorsport event during Olympic esports week in Singapore, 2023. Credit: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

It's called Pig Butchering - a cruel romance scam which has victims around the world. The BBC's Cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, was targeted online. He played along to learn about the con and then turned the tables on the scammer, known as Jessica. Joe tells us what happened. Also on Tech Life, we find out about a digital detox. And we hear about the role played by artificial intelligence in discovering an important new antibiotic.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones and Tom Quinn Editor: Monica Soriano(Photo: A red paper cut-out of a heart shape, torn in the middle, resting on a computer keyboard. Credit: Pla2na/Getty Images)

How do we cope when the tech we rely on stops working? This week we look at different types of blackouts . We explore the Bangladesh internet shutdown, which affected up to 170 million people for 10 days. We turn to South Africa, which experienced 15 years of daily power outages until very recently. Then to a country which still experiences blackouts now - Cuba. We meet the game developers who work even when the electricity cuts off.Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano(Photo: A red road sign saying "404". Credit: Getty Images)

Alasdair Keane is at the season finale of the Formula E, taking a look at how the tech has advanced over 10 years. We hear from the co-founder of the fully electric car racing event and ask where it goes next. What do the drivers think? And how does the event meet its sustainability goals? Plus, we go behind the scenes of a world-record-breaking AI event.Presented and produced by Alasdair Keane. Produced by Imran Rahman-Jones. Edited by Monica Soriano.Image: An orange Formula E car on the racetrack in London. Credit: Getty Images.

Ahead of the Olympics in Paris, we look at tech in sport. How is it used by athletes to improve their performance? And how is it used to deliver the spectacle to viewers at home? We also follow the quest to bring mountain biking to the Paralympics and how technology advancements are helping this become a reality. Plus, the potential for AI growth in Africa and how it might change the continent.Presented by Zoe Kleinman Produced by Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones Edited by Monica Soriano(Image: A male swimmer wearing goggles and a black swimming cap emerges out of the water. Credit: Getty Images)

As Japan axes the use of floppy discs for official government business, presenter Chris Vallance looks at other old tech that's still in use. From magnetic tape to a clockwork interplanetary rover, he discovers some vintage tech with a future. Also in this edition of Tech Life, we test an app that uses artificial intelligence to identify objects and tells us how to recycle them. And we speak to an expert conserving rhinos in South Africa with the help of nuclear technology.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A hand loads a floppy disc into a disc drive. Credit: Stockbyte/Getty Images)

We hear from Peter Gabriel, who is endorsing a competition to find a way of decoding animal communications using AI and then talk back to them. We get more details of the challenge from the chair of the prize, Prof Yossi Yovel. Microplastics in our seas and drinking water is a real problem. Two teenage students from Texas have found an innovative way to get rid of the stuff using ultrasound. If you have not heard about the Global Digital Compact, we speak to someone who says you need to know about it. And a traditional Indian instrument gets an electronic makeover.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Musician Peter Gabriel performing in New York. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Experts develop a new blood test that could change the way suspected cases of bowel cancer are managed. At the heart of it is A.I. analysis to calculate a patient's cancer risk. We speak to the team behind the PinPoint Test. Also on Tech Life this week, period trackers and your personal data - find out how one app is promising to keep your information safe. Drones are being used to make childbirth safer in Rwanda. And listen to the aerospace students who have developed a new way to move satellites around in space.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of a lab technician holding a blood sample. Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images)

Presenter Shiona McCallum is joined by technology reporter Paul Carter to look at some of the latest developments in artificial limb tech. Paul talks about his own personal experiences of trying out different prosthetics. Shiona interviews the youngest boy in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm, and his mum. Sierra Leone benefits from a prosthetics project. And would you want an extra robotic thumb ?Presenters: Shiona McCallum with Paul Carter Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of presenter Shiona McCallum in the Tech Life studio with technology reporter Paul Carter. Credit: BBC)

Lab testing of animals is often used to study diseases, or assess the safety of new drugs or substances before they are trialled on humans. Could A.I. provide a solution ? Also in this edition of Tech Life, woof woof! Can artificial intelligence help us interpret the meaning of dog barks ? And Michael Kaloki reports from Kenya on tech being used by dairy farmers to help them look after their herds.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: Portrait photo of a beagle dog. Credit: Getty Images)

What is it like to have an AI boyfriend? We hear about women in China who prefer to date a chatbot over a real person. How can tech be used to unlock the potential of crops - and help with food shortages? And we meet the fashion designer who hopes to fool facial recognition technology with her clothes.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones(Image: A woman looking at her phone which has hearts coming out of it. Credit: Getty Images)

There are words of warning about facial recognition, biometrics and artificial intelligence - technologies increasingly being adopted by law enforcement worldwide. Also on Tech Life this week, we learn about an African company offering a local alternative to the big electric vehicle manufacturers. Basketball gets into tech. And why we need tech to identify and map where our rubbish goes.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An illustration of facial recognition on the face of a woman. Credit: Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images)

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Alasdair Keane hears how the organisation behind the event is enlisting an AI platform to tackle online abuse aimed at athletes competing in the event. Also in this episode Shiona McCallum meets the next generation of game designers and we find out about a project in Rwanda to improve the fit of prosthetic limbs.Image: Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo is displayed near the Eiffel Tower (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Blood tests are part of the process of receiving cancer treatment. But they can be time-consuming and require visits to hospital. A new blood test machine is changing this. The Liberty is a small device that allows patients to take blood tests and upload the results from home without supervision. Lynn Thompson took part in the trial, and she tells Tech Life it's made a huge difference to her life. Also this week, we answer a listener's question about smart glasses. We learn about a project, involving electrolysers and hydrogen cooking stoves, which could improve the health of villagers in rural Nepal. And cutting down on e-waste - we speak to Tech for Troops.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: A still photo of Lynn Thompson with the Liberty blood test device. Credit: BBC)

Customs officers looking for illegally traded elephant ivory face a challenge, because ivory taken from the remains of mammoths is legal. Telling the two apart isn't easy. Now researchers have come up with a new technique using lasers that promises to make ivory identification easier. We speak to two experts involved in the project. Also on Tech Life this week, "The chatbot will see you now". People are more willing to discuss personal health matters with artificial intelligence than real medics. Hear about a community-based solution to the problem of e-waste. And how do you detect crumbling concrete in buildings ? Shiona McCallum reports on a tech solution.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An illustration of a woolly mammoth. Credit: Leonello Calvetti/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

This week we're taking a global look at TikTok, and some of the problems the video sharing platform has been facing. Also on Tech Life, you want to keep in touch with your child, but is there an alternative to giving them a smartphone ? We hear from video gamers in South Africa. And a female tech boss from Brazil shares advice on how others can follow her success.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: The TikTok logo on a mobile phone screen. Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images)

We're looking at humanoid robots - the ones that look like us. They have arms and legs. But are they really that practical and useful ? And how might they develop in the future ? Also in this edition of Tech Life, you've heard of charging points for electric cars and bikes ? Well, next it's plug-in points for cruise ships ! We learn about Bitcoin halving. And tech is helping farmers in Ghana to grow more crops.Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: An image of Atlas, the Boston Dynamics robot. Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images, and Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

We dive the ocean depths to find out how you fix undersea cables that keep us online. Also this week, the documentary that's programmed to have fifty two quintillion different versions. If you're planning to watch all of them you'll possibly need a coffee, so we look at the tech behind coffee bean roasters. And how do you enrich the tech lives of lemurs and parrots ? We speak to an expert.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn(Photo: Illustration of a submarine communications cable. Credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Getty)