The race among top AI companies to build ever more powerful systems is accelerating, and so are fears about losing control. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is at the centre of the debate, which came to a head last week after the New Yorker released an investigation about him, and a series of attacks took place near his home. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott discuss how we got here and why Altman is becoming the face of global anxiety about AI. Plus, Bobby Healy of Manna Air Delivery on robotic dogs and drones delivering coffee in Dublin.

Would you use a drone for parcel delivery? Get in touch techpod@thetimes.co.uk

Image: Getty

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iran has been bombing US owned data centres in the Persian Gulf, damaging physical infrastructure and disrupting cloud services across the region. Meanwhile in the UK, the combined value of new data centres approved last year officially overtook office buildings. Katie Prescott and The Times's technology correspondent Mark Sellman look at how this critical infrastructure is reshaping energy, infrastructure and conflict around the world. They also hear from Lei Zhang, CEO of Envision, a Shanghai based green tech company who talks about energy security, trade wars and robot cities.

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Image: Getty Images

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should under-16s be banned from social media? After landmark US rulings against Meta and YouTube over addictive design features, pressure is building on Big Tech. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott speak to online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron about whether this is tech’s 'Big Tobacco' moment, how the UK is tackling online safety, and what it means for children, including the growing risks of AI chatbots.

Would you support a social media ban for teenagers? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Image: Getty Images

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new trend is emerging in Silicon Valley – engineers are using more and more of AI agents to do their jobs. At some companies like Meta, AI usage is reportedly being linked to performance. But it’s also fuelling a growing anxiety, if AI can do your job better and faster, where does that leave you? Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott discuss the paranoia currently consuming Silicon Valley, what this really means for the future of work and whether we’re heading toward a genuine AI jobs crisis. Plus, they speak to CEO of Forterro, Dean Forbes, on his remarkable story from homelessness to leading a top private software firm in Europe.

Are you using AI agents to do your job? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Image: Getty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conan O’Brien joked at the Oscars that he might be the last human to host the Academy Awards. It got Danny and Katie thinking about AI's influence on the creative industry – from Hollywood, podcasting and beyond. They speak to Eline Van der Velden, the creator of AI actor Tilly Norwood, who argues that AI performers could be a more “ethical alternative” to traditional acting. So is AI empowering creators or replacing them?

Image: AI-generated/Tilly Norwood/Particle6

Clips: The Epstein Files, Tilly Norwood

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British AI data-center company NScale has hit a $14.6 billion valuation after raising another $2 billion but its rapid rise is raising eyebrows. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott examine the meteoric story of founder Josh Payne and the questions surrounding his business. They’re joined by Alice Bentinck, CEO of Entrepreneurs First, to discuss what it really takes to build the next generation of tech founders. Plus, Danny's been in court following a landmark trial in California that's seen Mark Zuckerberg grilled by lawyers and could prove to be a turning point for the multitrillion-dollar social media industry.

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quantum computing has been called the next big technological revolution, potentially as transformative as AI. Governments are investing billions, banks are already experimenting with the technology, and startups are racing to turn decades of research into real-world systems. In this episode, originally from The Business, another podcast from The Times, James Palles-Dimmock from UK startup Quantum Motion talks about the race to scale quantum computing, how close we are to a real breakthrough, and whether the technology could change industries from finance to drug discovery.

Presenters:

Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The Times

Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guest:

James Palles-Dimmock, chief executive, Quantum Motion

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An explosive fallout between AI giant Anthropic, OpenAI and the US Department of War has ignited a fierce debate in Silicon Valley about who gets to decide how artificial intelligence is used in defence. Former Pentagon adviser and founder of Primer.ai, Sean Gourley, joins Danny and Katie to explain how this technology is already embedded in military operations, and explore whether Silicon Valley bosses should get a say when it comes to national security. Is AI making war smarter or more dangerous?

Clip: Bloomberg TV

Producer: Marnie Duke

Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.