Sometimes, we get odd questions at the Artificial Human - ‘Why has my gran’s facebook feed been taken over by Shrimp Jesus?’ definitely raised eyebrows.

Kevin and Aleks embark on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of ‘AI Slop’ - mass produced, low quality AI images that have spread like wildfire over Social Media platforms - with Shrimp Jesus being one of the most prominent, and bizarre, examples.

They’ll speak with Renee Di Resta, about her study that reveals how algorithmic systems, designed to maximize engagement, have allowed AI slop to take over social media feeds - not because it's valuable, but because it's engineered to be highly clickable and shareable, gaming the algorithms for more impressions, likes, and comments.

And it turns out, those impressions can lead to money - BIG money... for a very select few. Aleks and Kevin talk with investigative journalist Jason Koebler about the hidden cottage industry producing the Slop - a community primarily from the Global South, trying to make money from social media reward programmes. With the help of various apps, online tutorials and hacker-like methods of avoiding spam filters, people are flocking to social media hoping to strike gold with viral images, like Shrimp Jesus.

But, will this AI Slop gold rush be the death of Social Media as we know it? And what happens to us when we just assume that anything we see online is simply not real.

And remember, if you have a question about AI that you’d like us to answer for you, get in touch with theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk

Presenters: Aleks Krotosksi and Kevin Fong Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy Researcher: Emily Esson Engineer: Barry Jackson

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?

In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions about it. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speaking to those closest to the forefront of AI-related innovation. By the end of each programme, the subject will be a little clearer - for us, and for themselves.

In this episode, we're asking: can AI get me a new job?

AI has changed the job market a LOT. It can sift through CVs, headhunt new talent and even conduct interviews. So where does that leave those looking for a new job? Does this place us in a better or worse position?

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they bring intelligence, curiosity and wit to the journey, seeking out the facts for us and speaking to those who are currently shaping our AI futures. This is very much a shared journey to get to the bottom of our deepest hopes and fears about these world changing technologies.

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?

In a new series, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions on all things artificial intelligence-related. Each episode will start with a question, and by the end, Aleks and Kevin give us answers we can take away and reflect on, making the subject a little clearer - for us, and for themselves. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life?

In today’s episode, Sarah Jane asks, “Is AI better than my doctor?”

Sarah Jane is a breast cancer survivor, but overcoming the disease hasn’t stopped her feeling anxious about a recurrence. Could AI help to placate her fears? Could it immediately respond to her concerns, when a doctor is hard to reach? Aleks and Kevin find out…

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they bring intelligence, curiosity and wit to the journey, seeking out the facts for us and speaking to those who are currently shaping our AI futures. This is very much a shared journey to get to the bottom of our deepest hopes and fears about these world changing technologies.

With over 50 elections around the world in 2024, how could AI influence the democratic process?

Disinformation has already been supercharged by digital technology - with bot farms, fake news and conspiracy theories running rampant across social media platforms.

But now, AI could potentially make it all the more difficult to sort fact from fiction in political discourse. We've already heard a deepfake of Sadiq Khan claiming to control the city of London, in the style of a cartoon villain - yet for something so false it’s uncomfortably convincing. Social Media platforms already struggled with misinformation, AI images, audio and video could make the situation so much worse.

It’s a big year for democracy, in the next 12 months we’re going to see more than 50 democratic processes unfolding around the world, not least our own general election and the US presidential election, and what Aleks and Kevin are going to find out is 'Can AI swing an election?' And what, if anything, can we do about that?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy Researchers: Juliet Conway

Children always seem to figure out new technology before their parents, but as technology has become ever more advanced, and interactive, we have had to wrestle with questions about what technology, and how much is good for children, and what could potentially do them harm?

With the speedy proliferation of AI, these questions are all the more important. And the one Kevin and Aleks aim to answer this week is 'Should I let my kids use AI for their Homework?' Will AI just be a way to cheat on an essay, producing text to suit any topic in seconds? Will parents who reject AI see their children left behind their peers? Or could children, guided by teachers who understand the potential AI offers, use the technology to break free of old limitations, and have their capabilities expanded to get an education that truly sets them up for a future where AI is part of every facet of our lives?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Victoria McArthur Researchers: Emily Esson and Juliet Conway

With stories coming out daily of how it will change just about everything Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to answer the most pressing questions about AI.

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?

In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions about it. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speaking to those closest to the forefront of AI-related innovation. By the end of each programme, the subject will be a little clearer - for us, and for themselves.

In this episode, Lucy wants to know; could AI make my Glastonbury better?

Lucy is attending the Glastonbury festival this year for the fifth time. She loves it and always has a really memorable experience, but it could be improved without the queues for the bars and the toilets, and maybe with a better idea of how to get from stage to stage in the shortest possible time. Could AI help?

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they bring intelligence, curiosity and wit to the journey, seeking out the facts for us and speaking to those who are currently shaping our AI futures. This is very much a shared journey to get to the bottom of our deepest hopes and fears about these world changing technologies.

As Apple announce the integration of generative AI across their platforms Aleks and Kevin ask do we actually know how much energy AI consumes and is it compatible with a push to net zero?

Energy consumption is AI's dirty little secret, some industry insiders believe the true potential of these technologies won't be realised until the problem is solved. Aleks and Kevin uncover some fairly startling numbers; a search done through an AI like ChatGPT can use up to 40 times more energy than using a traditional search engine, while a single hi-res image created by an AI could use the equivalent of half a smart phone charge. But because that happens on a server, perhaps in another country users remain ignorant of the potential impact their casual use might have on the push to net zero.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Mixed by Niall Young

Developers have been trying to create driverless cars since the 1920s. Numerous iterations have come into being and fallen away over the years - radio controlled cars, electronic guide systems buried into roads, lidar, radar, computer vision, but with the roll out of AI, we seem closer than ever to getting from A to B without having to touch the wheel.

In fact, in several places in the United States, Driverless Cars are already on the streets - albeit in a limited scope - ferrying users across the cities of Phoenix and San Francisco. And yet here in the UK? There are few autonomous vehicles in select locations, such as airports. But we’re unlikely to be hailing a cab without a driver in the near future? Why?

Aleks and Kevin are all set to find out. They’ll talk to Elaine Moore, who has been a frequent passenger in driverless cabs in San Francisco. Dr. Jack Stilgoe, leader of the Driverless Futures Project, and engineer Paul Newman who is developing autonomous vehicle software here in the UK. They’ll learn about the practical, legal, ethical and technical needs that autonomous vehicles will need to meet in order to function, how the fabric of cities might need to change for them to operate, and just how soon driverless cars will be able to safely operate on UK streets.

If you want to ask to answer your burning question on AI, please get in touch at theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?

In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to answer the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speaking to those closest to the forefront of AI innovation.

In this episode, listener Martha wants to know; why the builders of these technologies are projecting human like qualities on to machines and what the consequences for society might be.

When we talk to a chatbot we can't help behave like there's a mind on the other end - but there isn't. An AI can neither 'think', 'believe' or 'befriend' yet we keep using this language about them. When does that become a problem?

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they bring intelligence, curiosity and wit as they get to the bottom of our deepest hopes and fears about these world changing technologies.

If you have question about AI email Kevion and Aleks theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?

In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions about it. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speaking to those closest to the forefront of AI-related innovation. By the end of each programme, the subject will be a little clearer - for us, and for themselves.

In this episode, listener Val wants to know; 'Can AI look after me in old age?'

Val has experience of looking after elderly relatives, and she's aware that it can take its toll. It's made her reflect on what her own future might look like. Will AI be able help her to be independent for longer? And if so, how?

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they bring intelligence, curiosity and wit to the journey, seeking out the facts for us and speaking to those who are currently shaping our AI futures. This is very much a shared journey to get to the bottom of our deepest hopes and fears about these world changing technologies.

Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us, and how will it change our lives? In this episode of The Artificial Human, presenters Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask: should AI make my decisions?'

In The Artificial Human, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions on all things artificial intelligence-related. Each episode will start with a question, and by the end, Aleks and Kevin give us answers we can take away and reflect on, making the subject a little clearer - for us, and for themselves. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life?

In today’s episode, we ask, "Should AI make my decisions?"

Aleks and Kevin don't have all the answers, but they seek out the facts for us by speaking to those who are currently shaping our AI futures.

In a world where AI Voice clones can sound like your bank manager or your child in distress, Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong discover how to avoid being scammed by AI.

Some scams are easier to spot than others - The Prince never has money locked in an account that only you, dear brave internet user, can free for him - but in the age of AI, some scams are becoming increasingly difficult to spot, and defend against.

AI can churn out phishing emails and texts - the kind meant to make you log in to a fake banking page - far faster than any human. Deepfake celebrities have already appeared in videos offering free cookware, in return for a ‘small’ delivery cost - resulting in no cookware, but hidden monthly charge suddenly activated on your bank account. And, sometimes most upsetting of all, AI voice clones have been made that trick people into believing a loved one is injured, or kidnapped, trying to frighten families into handing over money to secure their safety.

With the people behind these scams so hard to find and prosecute, it’s up to individuals to protect themselves. So in this episode of The Artificial Human, Aleks and Kevin discover 'How we can all avoid being scammed by AI?'

AI art has been evolving at a rapid pace. In a few short months images, sound and increasingly video have all become so realistic it’s hard to tell what’s created by humans verses machines.

The release of SORA, Open AI’s text to video model, has sent shockwaves through the film industry. Movie mogul Tyler Perry reportedly halted an $800 million studio expansion because he saw what SORA was capable of. He feared he was wasting his money. He thinks that AI will, ‘touch every corner of our industry”. He’s not the only one…

People are worried. Aleks and Kevin speak to some of them. They ask - will actors become obsolete? Will we create every location against a greenscreen? And if these elements go, what next? The whole ecosystem of filmmaking suddenly feels very fragile. Could this be the biggest change the industry has seen since it’s inception? The thing is, film can often represent the most human of moments and interactions, and the bottom line is that audience. Will people want to watch movies that have been mostly generated by AI?

In this episode, Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong want to know: 'Could AI win an Oscar?'

The Darzi report of September 2024 painted a bleak picture of the NHS; crumbling infrastructure, low productivity and increasingly unhappy patients. AI is seen as key to turning the health service around but is it the panacea many claim?

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong find out if its on the front line or in the back office that AI can offer the NHS the biggest bang for its limited buck?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Emily Esson Mixed by: Kris McConnachie

Ever wondered what others are feeling but can’t quite read their emotions? Chris, a listener, emailed us with this exact dilemma. Partly due to being neurodivergent, he struggles to interpret the emotions of those around him—and even his own emotional reactions. So, he asked us: Could AI translate emotions for him?

In this episode, Aleks and Kevin dive into the fascinating and complex world of Emotional AI. They start with Professor Andrew McStay, head of the Emotional AI Lab at Bangor University, who shares the long—and surprising—history of humans trying to decode emotions through technology. He also uncovers the potential risks of trusting an AI system to get inside people’s heads.

Then, they meet Dr. Amir-Hossein Karimi, whose team at the University of Waterloo has developed an AI specifically designed to recognise emotions—just like what Chris is looking for. Could this be the solution? Dr. Karimi breaks down how this cutting-edge AI works, how it was created, and how a mix of tech innovation and human expertise could potentially help people better understand the emotions of others.

But should this type of AI be used at all? Do the potential benefits outweigh the risks? Aleks and Kevin explore both sides.

Got a question about AI? Email us at theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk.

Of all the jobs artificial intelligence might replace surely trading in stocks and shares is at the top of the list. Aleks and Kevin find out it might have already happened.

The first algorithms hit the trading floors nearly 30 years ago and since then the numbers of people involved in the buying and selling of shares has been dwindling. Aleks and Kevin speaking professor Dave Cliffe who wrote one of those first trading programmes. He was told the future of trading was a computer, a dog and a man. The computer would do the trading, the dog would guard the computer and the man, well he was there to feed the dog.

So how close are we to that future, closer than you think. But what does that mean for volatility in financial markets with AI’s well documented imperfect view of the world and is there still a place for human insight and perspective?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Mixed by: Fraser Jackson

The arms race is over and we lost. All those increasingly annoying little puzzles to prove "I am not a robot" from how many buses can you see to the invisible behavioural analysis going on behind the screen, AI powered bots can now pick every lock designed to keep them out.

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask what's left to prove we're an actual human being online and if that becomes impossible does much of the internet stop being useful?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Emily Esson Mixed by: Fraser Jackson

Conspiracy theories—once confined to fringe communities—have entered the mainstream.

Social media has supercharged outlandish narratives, giving them an air of legitimacy through viral sharing. With generative AI now capable of producing hyper-realistic images, videos, and audio, the boundaries between fact and fiction are more blurred than ever. It feels almost inevitable that AI will further amplify conspiracy theories in public and online discourse.

But perhaps the future isn’t quite so bleak. Aleks and Kevin explore how AI could actually help debunk conspiracy theories and combat the flood of misinformation online.

They speak with the team behind 'Debunk-bot', an AI chatbot that has shown remarkable success in shifting people’s beliefs around conspiracy theories. They also talk to Mick West, who has spent decades debunking falsehoods, about how AI might help reduce the impact of dangerous conspiracies—and what role humans must play in guiding those who find their way out of conspiracy rabbit holes with the help of a bot.

Join Aleks and Kevin as they investigate how AI can help us separate fact from fiction. And if you have a question about AI, email us at theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk.

Can you imagine how quickly Poirot could have solved a crime, if only he’d had access to AI software? Following a fictional murder case provided by real life police officer, Aleks and Kevin try to unravel how AI is already used in crime fighting, and what the cutting edge uses might be.

Ruth Morgan, Professor of Crime and Forensic Sciences, explains how the ability of AI to crunch huge volumes of data could lead to new forms of evidence being used in criminal trials. Aleks and Kevin also chat to Rudi Fortson KC about the legal ramifications of AI sourced evidence. Will it stand up in court? Is the UK judiciary ready for the influx of AI evidence? Or has it been used for years, without our knowledge?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Emily Esson Researcher: Juliet Conway Mixed by: Tim Heffer and Sean Mullervy

You don’t need to be a diehard gamer to realise video games have long been used as a yard stick to measure how far technology has come. From Pong and Space Invaders, right the way to Minecraft and Fallout, as the technology has advanced, so have the games. Pushing new boundaries and creating previously unimaginable worlds and experiences. But how will AI revolutionise the world of gaming itself, both for those who develop games and those who play them? Are we on the cusp of a huge leap forward? Or are the changes on the horizon more evolutionary than revolutionary?

Aleks and Kevin chat to one man who has been using AI to develop his own game from scratch, and hear from an industry insider about what the big companies are doing, and why advances in gaming may not be as dramatic as you might expect.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Emily Esson and Elizabeth Ann Duffy Mixed by: Sean Mullervy

Listener Gordon is worried that as AI content spreads across the web there'll be proportionally less and less human content for the AI’s to be trained on with the result their output will just get blander and blander.

He’s right to be worried, Aleks and Kevin explore the phenomena of ‘model collapse’ the inevitable breakdown of an AI to give useful results if its training data is already AI produced. Speaking to NYU data scientist Professor Julia Kempe the pair discover that training on AI generated data also means a brick wall in terms of improving AI performance.

There is hop however according to Shayne Longpre of the Data Provenance Initiative the answer is to put humans back in the loop to curate the data for the AI’s and teaching them what’s good data from bad.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus The Artificial Human is a BBC Audio Scotland production for Radio 4

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore our fears around AI, where they come from andwhether we're worrying about the right things?

Listener Paul asks 'if AI gets so smart wouldn't it realise it was a threat to society and switch itself off?' Its the stuff of Sci-fi fantasy, an artificial intelligence that gets so smart it decides it doesn't need humanity anymore. But if AI were ever to get that powerful and for many its a very big 'if' why would it want to do that? Kevin and Aleks speak to Dr Kanta Dihal who researches the stories we tell ourselves about technology and ask her why they seem to have become increasingly apocalyptic.

Do these far-flung futures distract us from much more immediate problems with AI and is that their purpose? Professor Michael Rovatsos explains the issues AI raises today and what’s being done counter them.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Sound: Sue Maillot & Sean Mullervy

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 China both economically and in cyber security.

Who will be listened to, and what does it mean for the rest of a world that's a good deal more sceptical about the potential of Ai and its risks? Andrew Strait Associate Director at the Ada Lovelace Institute helps Aleks and Kevin understand the various characters pushing their Ai agendas, while Nobel prize winning economist Daron Acemoglu explains the possible consequences of what's being proposed and how it is only a very narrow view of what Ai could be and how it could benefit mankind.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Juliet Conway Sound: Sean Mullervy

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.

Impressionist Alistair McGowan has portrayed everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to John Major to Boris Johnson. He explains that a voice is more than sound waves, but about soul, character and personal strength. Can those elements be replicated by AI? And do we want them to be?

Produced by Emily Esson Researched by Juliet Conway

A BBC Audio Scotland production.

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 publishing world?

Presenters: Kevin Fong & Aleks Krotoski Producer: Rachael O'Neill Sound: Gav Murchie

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 its training data suggests the most likely combination of words, however far from reality that might be.

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong find out exactly what your rights are and whether GDPR (general data protection regulations) are really fit for purpose in the age of genertive AI.

Presenters: Aleks Korotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Jac Phillimore Sound: Gav Murchie

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 meaning that its creators have made the software available for others to study, use and modify. The race is on to see which of these approaches will dominate and see AI embedded into more and more of our lives.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Juliet Conway Sound: Neva Missirian & Fraser Jackson

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 how his 30 years in the field is about to be replaced artificial intelligence without the need for an Aston Martin, dinner jacket or Walther PPK.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Juliet Conway Sound: Neva Missirian and Murray Collier

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 to.

Presenters: Alekes Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Juliet Conway Sound: Neva Missirian & Murray Collier

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

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 Fong Producer: Emily Esson Sound: Sean Mullervy

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

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 forewarning to genuine distress of people denied the opportunity to prepare and say goodbye.

They'll hear from Casey Fiesler, Professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder about how this all went down and whether Open Ai could or should have done things differently. They also be joined by Alan Cowen from Hume Ai about how you can create highly personable Ai responsibly.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Sound: Tim Heffer.

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 lead people to feel that way. Finally, we hear from Jillian Fisher at University of Washington about why creating a politically neutral Ai is impossible.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Sound: Tim Heffer and Murray Collier

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: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Production team: Elizabeth Ann Duffy, Rachael O'Neill and Peter McManus Sound: Laura Hay

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 brave the high street in that last minute Christmas dash.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researchers: Rachael O'Neill & Jac Phillimore Sound: Tim Heffer

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 could be heading for a crash. With the landscape shifting fast, Gary gives his take on what might come next and where he thinks the AI industry is headed.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Production Team: Peter McManus, Rachael O’Neill & Elizabeth Ann Duffy Sound: Sarah Hockley

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 warning over inflated Ai business valuations and explain what the bank are doing to protect the economy from any shocks. And Jerry Kaplan Silicon valley insider and expert on the social and economic impact of Ai shares his experience of booms and busts in the technology industry and his thoughts on who might be left standing should the wheels come off the Ai financial band wagon.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Researcher: Elizabeth Ann Duffy Sound: Steve Greenwood and Sarah Hockley

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

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 Research: Rachael O'Neill

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 he thinks LLMs are a hack, before speaking with long time tech innovator Jeff Hawkins about his why his 1000 brains Ai project could produce models that actually understand the world much more like we do.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Research: Elizabeth Ann Duffy and Minnie Harrop Sound: Steve Greenwood and Sean Mullervy

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 on AI; and Dr Tom Chatfield, author and philosopher of technology.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Rachael O'Neill Sound: Emma Harth and Steve Greenwood

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 reflects on what this tells us about the lack of detailed policy, regulation and legal frameworks governing AI in warfare, while journalist and author Katrina Manson explains what we can learn from the origins of the US military’s core AI programme as explored in her book,Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Peter McManus Sound: Fraser Jackson and Gav Murchie

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 and elimination of targets.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Production team: Peter McManus and Rachael O'Neil Sound: Kris McConnachie and Gav Murchie

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 the club and push towards the Premier League.

Plus, we’ll hear from Agnieszka Antoszkiewicz, CEO of OrdoStrategica and former Integrity Manager at FIFA, on how AI-driven changes are impacting the game, and whether the rules and safeguards are keeping up.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Rachael O'Neill Sound: Niall Young

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. Then, Rachel Arthur, Chief Learning Officer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, explains why learning to code still matters for young people in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong Producer: Rachael O'Neill Sound: Niall Young