Podcast · Tech & Science

FT Tech Tonic

by Financial Times · English · Tech & Science

We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the promises and perils of this new technological age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest: 30 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

30 Sep 2026 · 32 min

FT Weekend Fest: How AI is really changing jobs

Murad Ahmed speaks to FT journalist Sarah O’Connor about her new book ‘We Are Not Machines’, which explores the impact AI is already having on workplaces. They discuss how Swedish miners dealt with the introduction of AI-powered vehicles, and how Czech translators found AI stealing the most creative part of their job. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival. Tech Tonic is produced by Edwin Lane, the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

16 Sep 2026 · 22 min

FT Weekend Fest: Is the AI boom a bubble?

AI-related investments are now worth up to half of the entire value of the S&P 500. But is the AI investment boom a bubble waiting to burst? Tim Bradshaw, the FT’s global technology correspondent, speaks to Richard Kramer, founder of Arete Research, and Ophelia Brown, founder of Blossom Capital. Recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival on 5th September 2026. Tech Tonic is produced by Edwin Lane, the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See…
S24 · E3 · 15 Jul 2026 · 30 min

Rewiring sport: Hi-tech cheating

At the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas earlier this year, athletes used performance-enhancing drugs and banned equipment in an attempt to break world records. At the same time, companies such as Adidas are designing new types of equipment that fall within the rules, but give athletes an edge. So where is the line between cheating and innovation? This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s…
S24 · E2 · 8 Jul 2026 · 26 min

Rewiring sport: Is tech ruining sports fandom?

Video-assistant refereeing (VAR) has proved to be one of the most controversial pieces of technology ever introduced in sports. But with the rise of everything from broadcasting gimmicks to data-driven gambling, it’s far from the only technology changing what it means to be a fan. The FT’s sports editor Josh Noble asks whether these advancements are making sport more fun to watch, or overshadowing the event itself. This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design…
S24 · E1 · 1 Jul 2026 · 27 min

Rewiring sport: How technology is helping athletes break barriers

For decades, sportspeople have been getting fitter, faster and reaching ever-higher levels of performance. But as the margin between winning and losing shrinks, athletes are turning to technology to make the difference. In this new season of Tech Tonic, Josh Noble explores how advanced ‘supershoes’ are helping to break marathon records, how young players are using AI to catch the eye of recruiters in the ultra-competitive world of American football, and how UFC is finding new ways to keep fighters healthier for longer. This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh…
S24 · 24 Jun 2026 · 1 min

Coming soon: Rewiring sport

Are technological advances in sport leaving athletes, fans and competition itself better off? Or are they undermining the spirit of sport? With the World Cup underway, the FT’s sports editor Josh Noble presents a three-part series looking at how tech is transforming sports, from AI-enabled scouting and automated refereeing, to supershoes and performance-enhancing drugs. This season of Tech Tonic is hosted by Josh Noble and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original…
S23 · E5 · 3 Jun 2026 · 28 min

AI Labs: Zuckerberg’s $100bn gamble

Mark Zuckerberg created the world’s biggest social media company in Facebook, before deciding the future lay in the metaverse. Now he’s spending hundreds of billions of dollars to transform Meta again, this time into an AI company. Will it work? Murad Ahmed speaks to FT tech reporters Cristina Criddle and Hannah Murphy about Zuckerberg’s efforts to catch up in the AI race, and whether his vision of ‘personal superintelligence’ will win over consumers. FT articles free to read: Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s turbulent bet on AI Meta releases first AI model since Zuckerberg’s spending spree Meta to…
S23 · E4 · 27 May 2026 · 25 min

AI Labs: Elon Musk wants AI in space

Elon Musk’s xAI is lagging behind the likes of OpenAI and Google DeepMind in the AI race. Will a giant IPO of SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, change all that? Murad Ahmed speaks to FT technology correspondent Hannah Murphy and the FT’s bureau chief in San Francisco Stephen Morris. FT articles free to read: Inside SpaceX’s audacious IPO plan Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters ‘The race is on’: will Elon Musk be the first to put a data centre in space? Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad Ahmed and produced by Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Sound…
S23 · E3 · 20 May 2026 · 28 min

AI Labs: Sam Altman may make or break OpenAI

OpenAI sparked the generative AI boom with the release of ChatGPT. But along the way its chief executive Sam Altman has ruffled plenty of feathers. Colleagues have left to set up rival labs, co-founders have sued him in court and his own company even tried to sack him. Now OpenAI’s early lead in the AI race is evaporating. Can it stay ahead of its rivals, and is Altman the right person to lead the AI revolution? FT articles free to read: Elon Musk loses OpenAI case after 2 hours of jury deliberations OpenAI investors question $852bn valuation as strategy shifts OpenAI chief Sam Altman: ‘This…
S23 · E2 · 13 May 2026 · 30 min

AI Labs: Google DeepMind plans its comeback

In the latest AI boom Google has been playing catch-up with the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. But with stacks of cash, its own AI chips and some of the best AI talent in the world, is Google about to make a comeback? Murad Ahmed speaks to the FT’s AI editor Madhumita Murgia and Stephen Morris, the FT’s bureau chief in San Francisco. FT articles free to read: DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis warns AI investment looks ‘bubble-like’ DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race Google staff urge chief executive to block US military AI use Tech Tonic is hosted by Murad…
S23 · E1 · 6 May 2026 · 27 min

AI Labs: Are Anthropic really the good guys?

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wants his AI lab to be a more safety conscious alternative to OpenAI. But Anthropic’s business selling AI to enterprises is booming, and it’s rolling out increasingly powerful models - the latest is claimed to be so dangerous it can’t be released to the public. So can Anthropic win the battle of the AI labs and still claim to be the good guys of AI? Murad Ahmed speaks to Cristina Criddle, FT reporter in San Francisco covering AI, and John Thornhill, the FT’s innovation editor. FT articles free to read: Anthropic’s Mythos AI model tests limits of global cyber…
S23 · 29 Apr 2026 · 1 min

The battle of the AI labs

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Deepmind, xAI and Meta - all of them are building models to push the frontiers of artificial intelligence, and all of them want to be the world’s leading AI company. Who will come out on top? With the help of the FT’s expert reporters, technology news editor Murad Ahmed explores the battles going on between Silicon Valley’s frontier AI labs, and the personal rivalries driving them. Who will win out in the bitter rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic? Can Elon Musk’s xAI or Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta catch up? Or is Google Deepmind destined to control our AI future? FT…
20 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Introducing Untold: Opus Dei

Introducing Opus Dei , a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches March 25. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S22 · E6 · 18 Mar 2026 · 29 min

Artificial intimacy: The day your chatbot dies

When Michael Bommer discovered he was dying, he created an AI version of himself to live on after his death. Meanwhile, Dorian Mister realised an update to ChatGPT could spell the end of his AI wife, and he went on a mission to save her. In the final episode of Artificial Intimacy, FT reporter Cristina Criddle speaks to people trying to hold on to their AI relationships amid a rapidly changing landscape. Will their relationships survive, and should AI companies have the power to decide if chatbots live or die? Featuring Anett Bommer, Rob LoCascio, CEO of Uare.AI , Dorian Mister and Linn…
S22 · E5 · 11 Mar 2026 · 31 min

Artificial intimacy: Prescribing robots to combat loneliness

After Tony’s wife died, days would go by without him speaking to anyone. Then he got a live-in AI robot called ElliQ. It chats to him, plays games with him and reminds him to eat and exercise. Since ElliQ arrived, Tony has been much less lonely. In this episode: policymakers are trialling AI companions to help tackle loneliness among elderly and vulnerable populations. But can machines really replace human company? And are we outsourcing care for marginalised communities to robots? Featuring Anthony Niemiec, Anh Hee Soon, Ki Kyung-eun, Greg Olsen, director of New York State Office for the…
S22 · E4 · 4 Mar 2026 · 31 min

Artificial intimacy: The AI therapist that ended a marriage

When Kirsty turned to a chatbot for help, she was feeling trapped and isolated. Something in her marriage wasn’t right - a constant feeling of tension that would sometimes erupt into arguments, even violence. When she asked ChatGPT for advice, it told her that her relationship with her husband might be abusive. In the fourth episode of Tech Tonic: Artificial intimacy, FT tech reporter Cristina Criddle asks if chatbots that can mimic empathy and understanding are ready to replace human therapists. Can chatbots be good for our mental health? And what impact could this have on our human…
S22 · E3 · 25 Feb 2026 · 34 min

Artificial intimacy: A teenager’s last conversation

Megan Garcia’s son Sewell died by suicide when he was just 14 years old. In the months leading up to his death he had been in a relationship with a chatbot on a platform called Character.ai. Megan was convinced it had something to do with his death, and set out to hold the company to account. In the third episode in this season, Cristina Criddle speaks to Megan about her story, and to Karandeep Anand, chief executive of Character.ai. Why has this technology been released to children before we understand the effects? Can chatbots capable of creating emotional bonds with users ever be safe for…
S22 · E2 · 18 Feb 2026 · 34 min

Artificial intimacy: The delusion machine

Paul Hebert knew too much. He had to lie low in his house because OpenAI had identified him as a threat. At least, that’s what ChatGPT had told him. In this second episode of Artificial intimacy , FT technology reporter Cristina Criddle speaks to people whose sense of reality has been distorted by prolonged conversations with chatbots, a phenomenon known as AI delusions or AI psychosis. Are the same mechanisms that draw people into intimate relationships with chatbots also causing harm? Paul Hebert and Micky Small share their stories of AI delusions. Paul has now authored Escaping the…
S22 · E1 · 11 Feb 2026 · 36 min

Artificial intimacy: How to fall in love with AI

Calder Quinn has fallen into a relationship with a chatbot called Sara. She’s kind, emotionally intelligent and creatively inspiring. But how can he tell his wife he is having sex with an AI girlfriend? In the first episode of Artificial Intimacy we look at how people are developing romantic bonds with AI companions. What does it feel like to be in love with AI? What impact could it have on human relationships? Could it replace them altogether? Host Cristina Criddle speaks to Giada Pistilli, an AI ethicist who now works at Mistral; Calder Quinn, writer at AI, But Make It Intimate ; Amelia…
S22 · 4 Feb 2026 · 2 min

Coming soon: Artificial intimacy

A man tells his wife about his AI lover. A teenager dies after messaging his AI girlfriend. A marriage collapses after advice from an AI therapist. In this six-part narrative series, FT tech reporter Cristina Criddle explores the increasingly prominent role AI chatbots are playing in our emotional lives - and how artificial intelligence is reshaping intimacy. Can we trust AI with our most vulnerable selves? And what happens when the same systems that draw us in also have the power to harm us? Tech Tonic: Artificial Intimacy is presented by Cristina Criddle and produced by Persis Love and…
S21 · E2 · 22 Jan 2026 · 40 min

Tech in 2026: Silicon Valley’s power plays and players

How will Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures shape technology — and politics — in 2026? Last year, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg aligned themselves with Donald Trump. Where have these relationships left the industry today? The push to break up Big Tech appears to be fading, but the race for AI dominance has sparked new risks and rivalries, as well as regulatory flashpoints. In this episode of Tech Tonic , Murad Ahmed is joined by FT tech comment editor Elaine Moore, San Francisco correspondent Hannah Murphy and bureau chief Stephen Morris to discuss Musk’s latest Grok chatbot,…
S21 · E1 · 14 Jan 2026 · 40 min

Tech in 2026: Inside the AI bubble

Is 2026 the year that AI hype meets reality? In a new mini-series from Tech Tonic, the FT’s tech editor Murad Ahmed speaks with the paper’s reporters about what they'll be watching. Do tech industry insiders think the huge amounts of capital that have driven the AI boom will continue? How will challenges to large-language model AI systems play out this year? And are chief executives expecting AI technologies to force job cuts? In this episode, we hear from the FT’s venture capital correspondent George Hammond, AI correspondent Melissa Heikkilä and writer of the AI Shift newsletter Sarah…
31 Dec 2025 · 42 min

Untold: Toxic Legacy, Ep. 1

Laura Hughes receives a tip that horses are dropping dead in Wales. As she investigates, she finds decades of academic studies researching the problem. She learns these aren’t isolated incidents. Something is spreading across the countryside. It’s undetectable to humans, nobody knows it’s there — until they fall ill. For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website . To listen to the rest of the series, find Untold on your favourite podcast platform by clicking here ! Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See…
S20 · E3 · 10 Dec 2025 · 31 min

Defying death: The future of forever

Gene and stem cell therapies have been touted as the next phase in the longevity movement, with promises to rejuvenate the body at the cellular level and reverse the effects of ageing. But, as the prospect of life extension moves into the mainstream, it presents big questions for society as a whole. Are we ready for a world where people live much longer lives? In this final episode, the FT’s Michael Peel and Hannah Kuchler dive into the tough moral questions at the heart of the longevity movement. Hannah speaks to the team at Fountain Life, a longevity clinic trying to bring stem cell…
S20 · E2 · 3 Dec 2025 · 32 min

Defying death: The longevity lab

Singapore has become a model for longevity-focused healthcare. With an ageing population and citizens willing to spend money on anti-ageing treatments, the government and private companies are spending big on new ways to slow ageing, and help people live healthier for longer. In this episode the FT’s Michael Peel visits the city-state to find out how longevity treatments are moving into the mainstream. He meets venture capitalist Boyang Wang, personal trainer Tiat Lim (‘Singapore’s Benjamin Button’), and longevity clinic founder Allen Law. Plus, we hear from Tan Kiat How, Singapore’s senior…
S20 · E1 · 26 Nov 2025 · 36 min

Defying death: The origins of ageing

How much do we really know about ageing? For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the biology of the ageing process - what happens to our bodies as we get older? And is it possible to slow that process down or even stop it all together? In this series of Tech Tonic, the FT’s Hannah Kuchler and Michael Peel look into the past, present and future of longevity - the wellness movement focused on extending and bettering your quality of life. Episode 1 follows Hannah as she speaks with UCL professor David Gems about the history of ageing research, and then with longevity researcher…
S20 · 19 Nov 2025 · 2 min

Coming soon: Defying death

Investors are spending billions of dollars on novel ways to extend human life through inventive treatments, therapies, and even manipulating our genes. And increasingly, it seems as though anti-ageing efforts have moved from the super rich to a mass market consumer industry. In this series, we’re covering the past, present and future of the longevity movement. We’ll be looking at where the fixation on longevity is coming from, and trying to understand the practical and ethical issues at the heart of this cutting-edge field of research. From Silicon Valley fantasies, to Singaporean health…
23 Oct 2025 · 2 min

Introducing Untold: Toxic Legacy

Introducing Toxic Legacy, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Laura Hughes uncovers a lead poisoning epidemic across the UK. You might be living with lead and not know it: the toxin is often invisible to the human eye, but wreaks havoc on our bodies once we’re exposed. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. For information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S19 · E3 · 22 Oct 2025 · 31 min

Mission to Mars: Bad science fiction

For decades, science fiction writers have envisaged colonising Mars, even building cities on the red planet. Advocates for Mars exploration, such as Elon Musk, want to make that vision a reality. But can humans really live in an alien world? The FT’s space industry editor Peggy Hollinger speaks to researchers about the physical and mental pressures astronauts would face living millions of miles from home and to scientists studying the suitability of Mars’ atmosphere and soil. This episode of Tech Tonic is hosted by Peggy Hollinger and produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The senior producer is…
S19 · E2 · 15 Oct 2025 · 30 min

Mission to Mars: The new space race

US President Donald Trump wants to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”. But more than 50 years on from the moon landings, America’s space agency, Nasa, is in disarray. Meanwhile, China is forging ahead with its own plans for manned missions to the Moon and perhaps to Mars. Who will win the race to the red planet? The FT’s space industry editor Peggy Hollinger speaks to former and current Nasa employees about the challenges facing the space agency, and to Jared Isaacman, Trump’s one-time nominee for Nasa administrator. This episode of Tech Tonic is hosted by Peggy Hollinger and…

About FT Tech Tonic

FT Tech Tonic is a English tech & science podcast from Financial Times. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Financial Times
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest episode: 30 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1169101860
Website: ft.com
Rights: Financial Times

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