Podcast · Tech & Science

The Artificial Human

by BBC Radio 4 · English · Tech & Science

Every day, we read something new about Artificial Intelligence - it'll take our jobs, it'll teach our kids, it knows more about us than we do ourselves... but how much of that is hype, and how much is, or will be reality? Part of our problem with AI is that it feels impenetrable and mysterious, e

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 29 minNew

Can the UK go it alone on AI?

While the United States and China dominate the global AI race, the UK sits in a distant but still significant third place, boasting the most developed AI ecosystem in Europe. The question is: how can middle powers such as the UK assert their technological sovereignty, ensuring that the AI systems we rely on reflect our values and laws while also delivering a fair share of the economic rewards? Britain has long been at the forefront of artificial intelligence. From Alan Turing's pioneering work, which laid the foundations of the field, to Sir Demis Hassabis's Nobel Prize-winning…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

7 Oct 2026 · 29 min
Can AI be my new lab partner?
Artificial intelligence is changing many aspects of our lives, but some of its most exciting possibilities are happening in the world of science. There have been lots of headlines about how artificial intelligence could transform this area, including curing disease, suggesting new drugs, and generating hypotheses at a speed no human could replicate. AI has been behind real scientific breakthroughs; it’s also running experiments round the clock in new autonomous labs, and even “AI scientists” are beginning to emerge. So, Aleks and Kevin explore what happens when AI becomes part of the…
1 Oct 2026 · 29 min
Are we losing control of AI?
The hacking of Medicare in Australia was the first time an autonomous AI deliberately breached a government system, and coming just months after the same company's agents gained unauthorised access to another AI business, Hugging Face, it throws fresh attention on the growing risks of cyber attacks from artificial intelligence. Artificial Human explores what happened in both these incidents and look at what it tells us about the future of hacking. Aleks Krotowski and Kevin Fong speak to Margaret Mitchell from Hugging Face about what its like to be the target of such an attack, and ask if…
23 Sep 2026 · 29 min
Are Gen Z Already Over AI?
Concerns about jobs, the environment and concentrated power are driving many Gen Zers to see AI's downsides as outweighing its benefits. They're finding themsleves stuck between a rock and a hard place, on one hand they're being told they have to become AI literate if they're ever to get a job, while on the other concerned about how it might undermine their own ability to think. But this is the most digitally literate generation, they've seen the harm caused by social media and are rightly suspicious of this next technological revolution, and if their critical skills are telling them to be…
1 Jul 2026 · 29 min
When will robots have their Chat GPT moment?
AI startups in New York are offering free home cleaning—as long as it’s okay to have everything filmed in order to train robots. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask: how far off is a ChatGPT moment for robotics? Robots are nothing new, and online you’ll find endless videos of cutting-edge machines doing everything from backflips to breakdancing. So with all the breakthroughs in other areas of AI, why aren’t we seeing robots on our streets and in our homes? We hear from Grace Shao in Hong Kong, who’s been observing recent efforts in China to push the frontiers of robotics. While Subramanian…
29 Jun 2026 · 29 min
Are we all AI hypocrites?
Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore a curious contradiction: why do we bristle at AI‑generated emails and writing, even while many of us quietly rely on them ourselves? What does this reveal about how we judge not only the output of these technologies, but the people who use them — while still excusing our own behaviour? To unpack this double standard, they begin with Katrina Collier, recruitment expert and author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter and Reboot Hiring. Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the quest find a job. Applicants are increasingly turning to AI to polish and promote…
17 Jun 2026 · 29 min
Will AI replace the people who built it?
Aleks and Kevin look beyond the headlines to uncover why Silicon Valley is seeing thousands of job losses across some of its biggest tech companies, as the industry pivots towards AI. What does this shift mean for entry-level roles that AI can now perform? And has the rise of “vibe coding” effectively eliminated the need for junior coders? Is this an early sign of AI taking over the very roles that built it? Aleks and Kevin speak to Alberta Devor, software engineer and tech content creator, about how the role of a coder is evolving and what this means for those starting out in the industry.…
10 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Can AI help us win the World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, with England and Scotland heading overseas to play for their countries. FIFA has called it the most technologically advanced tournament yet, with all 48 teams given access to the same AI tools, designed to democratise elite football intelligence. So how will this year’s competition look, with every team now using AI as part of their training and strategy? And could it help us win the World Cup? We’ll be speaking to Stuart Fenton from Reading FC, the first Head of AI appointed by an English club, who’ll explain how they’re using AI to transform…
27 May 2026 · 29 min
AI: War Machine?: 2. What's driving the military AI policy?
Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong examine the decisions shaping the adoption of military AI in the United States and beyond, asking whether governance is keeping pace — or whether responsibility is being left to the technology’s creators. A recent dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon revealed that commercial contracts, rather than clear policy, are helping to define how AI can be used by the military. But the disagreement was less about ethics than about timing, with the military pressing ahead to adopt systems before their developers considered them sufficiently reliable. Dr Brianna Rosen…
27 May 2026 · 29 min
AI: War Machine?: 1. Is AI transforming Warfare?
The recent strikes in Iran were planned, executed and assessed with Ai. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong find out how Ai is transforming war and asking is the human still meaningfully in the loop? We hear from Keith Dear, ex-RAF intelligence officer and one of the first people to advise Number 10 on the potential of Ai for the military. He'll explain how Ai is being used in decision making in conflict and how its made compatible with international law. While Dr Elke Schwarz lays out the ethical challenges and concerns about the gradual squeezing out of human involvement in the identification…
4 Mar 2026 · 30 min
Is AI the future of learning?
As part of the BBC's AI Unpacked week Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong join an audience of pupils, teachers and education experts to ask if artificial intelligence is the future of learning. Recorded at University College London in their bicentennial year, the programme asks how we can use this revolutionary tool to equip the next generation for a future where Ai will be everywhere. The panel features Alex Russell, former head teacher and co‑founder of the charity AI in Education; Professor Sonia Livingstone, social psychologist and member of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel…
25 Feb 2026 · 29 min
Are Large Language Models a Dead End?
Chat GPT, Gemini etc are most people's idea of artificial intelligence. But are the limitations of the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them an obstacle to achieving Ai that understand the world beyond what its learnt from the internet. That's increasingly the opinion of leading researchers who despite the industries fixation with LLMs are voting with their feet and setting up their own research labs to look at other ways to achieve Ai. Aleks and Kevin talk with Michael Woolridge, Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford to understand why…
18 Feb 2026 · 30 min
Is AI killing Search?
Aleks and Kevin look at how Ai chatbots and summaries might kill the web as we know it. When people get all the answers they want from their AI, can the sites they've scraped for content survive if no one visits them? Sajeeda Merali of the professional publishers association discusses the challenges her members face. And the original disruptor of spreading information, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, talks about the reliance of Ai on the work of his legions of volunteer 'wikipedians' and why attribution is such an issue. Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus…
28 Jan 2026 · 29 min
AI's Bubble Trouble?: 3. If the bubble bursts, where next for AI?
In the final instalment of our AI Bubble mini-series, Aleks and Kevin take a look at what it would mean if the AI bubble were to burst - not just for the industry, but for the future of AI itself. They’re joined by Adrian Lepers, Head of Monetization Operations and Strategy at Hugging Face. Sitting right at the centre of the open-source AI ecosystem, Adrian shares how Hugging Face sees its role in the market and how the industry could evolve from here. Also on the programme is Gary Marcus - cognitive scientist, psychologist, author, and one of the earliest voices warning that the AI boom…
28 Jan 2026 · 29 min
AI's Bubble Trouble?: 2. What are the consequences of an AI economic crash?
In part two of their exploration of the economics of Ai Aleks and Kevin ask, what are the consequences of the anticipated financial bubble bursting, and would a crash stop there? There's massive uncertainty over whether the Ai industry can make enough money to warrant the astronomical sums being invested, making 2026 a make-or-break year for the sector in the eyes of many experts. We're joined by Dame Diane Coyle economist at the University of Cambridge to look at how far the blast radius of an Ai crash might reach. Nathanael Benjamin from the Bank of England will explain why they issue a…
28 Jan 2026 · 29 min
AI's Bubble Trouble?: 1. Is the AI bubble about to burst?
Aleks and Kevin explore the biggest story in the Ai business. Markets are growing sceptical that the eye-watering sums being invested in Ai will show a return and comparisons with the dot-com crash are being widely made - so is the Ai bubble about to burst? Over the next three episodes we'll explore the Ai business landscape, look at the evidence for a bubble and consider the consequences of a 'major correction' to the valuation of the big players. Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Research by Elizabeth Ann Duffy
29 Oct 2025 · 29 min
Can AI do my Christmas shopping?
Aleks and Kevin explore the world of Ai agents, artificial intelligence that can go out and act in the world on your behalf. And with festive season only weeks away, what they really want to know is could it do your Christmas shopping for you? They hear from Peter Cross, ex-customer experience director at John Lewis and Waitrose, and author of Start with the Consumer, about whether an Ai could ever be your personal shopper before finding out from human-computer interaction researcher Professor Tamilla Triantoro about how far off these technologies are and will they ready before we have to…
22 Oct 2025 · 29 min
Did AI Fuel the Charlie Kirk Rumour Mill
Aleks & Kevin explore how people turned to Ai to solve Charlie Kirk's murder, enhancing grainy CCTV pictures or asking chatbots to help them investigate, but did it help or hinder? They're joined by Lauren Fichten and Julia Ingram from US broadcaster CBS; they watched in real time as the Ai generated content began to trickle in after the shooting finally reaching a frenzy of activity. They then turn to deep fake and misinformation expert Henry Ajder to understand the motivations of those so desperate for information after such events that they turn to Ai to fill in the blanks. Presenters:…
15 Oct 2025 · 29 min
Is AI dividing us politically?
A report by the National Centre for Social research show that political orientation shapes attitudes toward AI technologies and their regulation. With people on the right more open to Ai while those on left are more sceptical. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore why that might be the case and whether it has implications for how quickly people adopt Ai tools. They speak to Helen Margetts from the Oxford Internet Institute about the research and what it tells us, before exploring with Thomas Ferretti from Greenwich university what it is about is about these political ideologies that might…
8 Oct 2025 · 30 min
Why am I sad when my AI goes away?
According to the Harvard Business Review companionship has become the number one use case for generative Ai. But what if the model gets updated and the Ai chum you've been confiding in and sharing your life with disappears? Who picks up the pieces and do the creators of these technologies be more careful? Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore the latest and most high-profile incident of this when Open Ai replaced GPT 4o with GPT 5. At a stroke, all personas that users had shaped their use and careful prompting got wiped causing a wave of emotion from ranging from irritation at the lack…
1 Oct 2025 · 29 min
Why is AI erasing people?
For years disabled and marginalised communities have fought for representation in what we see in the media. Aleks and Kevin find out if AI risks undoing all those hard-won victories. Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Sound: Sean Mullervy
24 Sep 2025 · 29 min
Can AI make me fitter?
What would make you want to exercise? Is it the thrill of being discovered as the next football legend? Or maybe the threat of a scary drill sergeant shouting at you? Join Aleks and Kevin at the starting line, as they set out to discover how AI could help reshape your fitness goals. From what the high end athletes are using to track their progress and how that trickles down to everyday users, to how AI is levelling the playing field when it comes to scouting new talent. Plus, could an AI coach be just the thing to help with that pesky fleeting motivation? Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin…
2 Jul 2025 · 28 min
Everything You Always Wanted to Ask About AI
Haven’t had your A.I. question answered yet? We’re making up for it. Aleks and Kevin are in the hot seat for an episode dedicated to tackling the A.I. questions left in our inbox. With insights from experts, and questions from you the listener, they'll cover everything from AI verbal abuse and how AI is being used on our streets, to how it can help with your overflowing inbox, and whether AI dreams like we do. Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Rachael O’Neill Researcher: Juliet Conway Sound: Sean Mullervy
25 Jun 2025 · 29 min
Is AI better than my therapist?
As more and more of us use Ai chat bots inevitably people will start asking them about their problems. Aleks and Kevin ask if there's a risk they do more harm than good? They talk to Ryan Broderick who turned to Ai when going through a rough patch with his mental health. He's now seeing a human therapist and has a fascinating perspective on the advice his chat bot gave him. But are the potential risks of using Ai as a support especially if its one not designed for that purpose? Zoha Khawaja has been studying people's use of Ai and explains the 'therapeutic misconceptions' users can be prone…
18 Jun 2025 · 29 min
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, AI?
Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask if espionage is about to be revolutionised by Ai. Around the globe intelligence agencies are getting excited about the potential of Ai. Not only in what we know its good at, crunching huge amounts of data looking for patterns but also in identifying and exploiting human weakness. Who might be turned to spy for you and how can they be manipulated. And when a spy is caught could an Ai in the interrogator’s ear help them spot telltale signs of lying by analysing micro-gestures, body temperature, perspiration? Aleks speak with ex-CIA officer Peter Warmka about…
11 Jun 2025 · 30 min
Is China getting AI right?
When Chinese AI startup DeepSeek released their R1 model on the world it sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Out of nowhere was an AI that performed as well as any of big tech's products but had been built at a fraction of the cost and with a fraction of the resources. Now the dust has settled they’re asking themselves whether the driving idea of bigger models, trained on ever bigger datasets still holds up. They're also asking if their business model of fiercely protecting the secrets behind how their technology works is the best way to innovate. DeepSeek is what’s called Open Source…
4 Jun 2025 · 29 min
What Do I Do if AI Gets Me Wrong?
When a Norwegian man idly asked ChatGPT to tell him something about himself he was appalled to read that according to the chatbot he'd been convicted of murdering two of his children and had attempted to kill a third. Outraged, he contacted Open AI to have the information corrected only to discover that because of how these large language models work its difficult if not impossible to change it. He's now taking legal action with the help of digital civil rights advocate. Its an extreme example of Large Language Model's propensity to hallucinate and confabulate, ie make stuff up based on what…
28 May 2025 · 30 min
Why Is AI Stealing Books?
Books are at the heart of an ongoing AI controversy with 7.5 million books being used to train AI without the authors’ knowledge or consent. So, should AI be allowed to steal books? Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong speak to award-winning author Kate Mosse about the growing debate over AI and authorship. They’ll also explore how the publishing industry is responding and whether AI systems have the legal right to absorb millions of books? Plus, with AI generated books on the rise, could this technology ever truly replace human writers? What does the future hold for authors, readers, and the…
12 Feb 2025 · 28 min
Can AI Save Darth Vader?
Aleks and Kevin step into the world of actors “banking” their voices for use after death. With the help of AI your favourite actor can continue to appear on screen for years after they've gone. But what does that really mean? What’s a performance without the actor behind it? Benjamin Field is the producer behind the AI Sir Michael Parkinson podcast, where the late interviewer talks to new guests thanks to AI technology. Benjamin explains how the technology works, and the ethical concerns that it poses. Plus he describes how he sees the technology as a way to create more work for actors.…
3 Feb 2025 · 29 min
What Is Trump's AI Agenda?
Ai is at a turning point, Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask what direction it will take and who is advising the most powerful man in the world on what vision of AI to pursue? There are numerous camps vying for President Trump's favour over how to develop Ai. There are those demanding that it be allowed to run free without the burden of innovation stifling regulation. Others still cling to the notion that the risks of rampant Ai still need to be curbed, while a third camp want to see 'big tech' working even closer with government to harness the power of this new 'wonder technology' and beat…

About The Artificial Human

The Artificial Human is a English tech & science podcast from BBC Radio 4. 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: BBC Radio 4
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1730926279
Rights: (C) BBC 2026

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