The Times Tech Podcast

Will.i.am: musicians will survive AI 16.07.2026 38m

Will.i.am is not as worried about AI and artists. He tells Katie Prescott that the "creatives will be alright," but it's "the assistants, the sales clerks, the lawyers, the accountants" that we should be concerned about. As musicians, publishers and Silicon Valley debate over whether AI should be allowed to train on creative work, the Black Eyed Peas musician and tech investor offers a different take. He says music has always borrowed from what came before – from samplers to bass lines and rhymes. So what changes when machines start borrowing too?Plus, Danny Fortson and Katie discuss Anthropic’s stark new AI advert, Demis Hassabis’s call for an AI watchdog, and whether governments can keep up with the pace of artificial intelligence.Watch on YouTube Producers: Marnie Duke & Shabnam GrewalExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: GettyClip: ClaudeMusic Credit: Contains a sample of the recording "Billie Jean." Performed: Michael Jackson, Written: Michael Jackson. Published: Sony/ATV Songs LLC o/b/o Mijac MusicCourtesy: Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.Music Credit: Contains a sample of the recording "Caribbean Queen - No More Love on the Run”Performed: Billy OceanWritten: Billy Ocean, Keith DiamondPublished: Jive Records/ Sony Music EntertainmentCourtesy: Sony Music EntertainmentMusic Credit: Contains a sample of the recording "Boom Boom Pow.”Performed: Black Eyed Peas William Adams (will.i.am), Stacy Ferguson (Fergie), and Jaime Gomez (Taboo)Writen: William Adams (will.i.am), Stacy Ferguson (Fergie), Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap), and Jaime Gomez (Taboo).Published: Will.i.am Music Publishing, Jeepney Music, Headphone Junkie Publishing, Tab Magnetic Publishing, and EMI Music PublishingCourtesy: Interscope Records. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can beautifying AI data centres save them from backlash? 09.07.2026 39m

AI needs vast data centres to power it but communities around the world are increasingly pushing back against the large, ugly “sheds” appearing on their doorsteps.In the US, one proposed Utah data centre is set to be larger than Manhattan. Meanwhile, architects in the UK are looking at ways to make data centres more attractive, functional and useful to local communities. So Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott ask whether better design, waste-heat reuse and local benefits could make AI infrastructure more acceptable.Plus, Danny speaks to Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, who explains how AI and biology are coming together through autonomous “cloud labs” that could transform scientific discovery.Would you hate data centres less if they were more beautiful? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukWatch on YouTube Read more: Save our countryside from ugly AI data sheds: make them beautifulProducer: Ethan Sills, Shabnam Grewal & Marnie Duke.Executive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaVideo Producer: Bronwen LathamImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS: The hidden technology behind Wimbledon 04.07.2026 13m

This episode of The Times Tech Podcast is in paid partnership with IBM.Wimbledon may be one of the most familiar events in British sport, but behind the tennis is a vast technology operation – from live match data and digital storytelling to AI tools designed to help fans follow the Championships in real time.Katie Prescott is joined by Kameryn Stanhouse, Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM, and Chris Clements, Senior Manager of Digital Strategy and Products at the All England Club, to discuss how technology is changing the Wimbledon experience, both on the grounds and for fans around the world.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PayPal’s Max Levchin on Donald Trump, Elon Musk and mega-IPOs 02.07.2026 45m

Affirm CEO, PayPal co-founder, original member of the 'PayPal Mafia' Max Levchin joins Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott to talk about moral moneylending, Elon Musk, mega-IPOs and why there are so many tech bosses in Washington. As he puts it – “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”Meanwhile, Anthropic has announced that Claude Fable 5 will be released again globally after the Trump administration's ban. Plus, Danny and Katie discuss the latest trend in Silicon Valley - the rise of voice AI and the death of the keyboard. Is it hot air or if we are really in a new era of "yapping, rather than tapping"? On that note, Norman, Katie's AI agent, finally (and terrifyingly), has a voice.Would you swap your keyboard for voice-to-text software? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukWatch on YouTube Read more: Is it time to say goodbye to the keyboard?Producer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaVideo Producer: Bronwen LathamImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Europe fears America’s AI power 25.06.2026 39m

Who really controls the future of AI? A rare warning from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance says powerful AI models capable of devastating cyberattacks on governments and businesses could be just months away. At the same time, the Trump administration’s decision to block foreign access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models has intensified fears that Europe and the UK are dangerously dependent on Silicon Valley.Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott ask what an AI “kill switch” could mean for Europe – and whether the race for AI sovereignty is now impossible to ignore.And as the race towards Artificial General Intelligence intensifies, so too has the talent war between AI labs, after two leading Google DeepMind researchers – Noam Shazeer and John Jumper – left for OpenAI and Anthropic.Plus, Judith Dada, AI adviser to the German government and Senior Partner at Visionaries, joins them to discuss Europe’s AI future, tech sovereignty, and what losing the AI race could mean.Producer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer vs Big Tech - the UK's under-16s social media ban 18.06.2026 34m

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a ban on social media for under-16s, due to come into effect next year. But questions remain over how it will be enforced, and whether it will actually work. Mark Sellman joins Katie Prescott to answer the key questions.In the US, the Trump administration has banned two of Anthropic’s most powerful AI models which include the controversial 'Mythos', intensifying calls for Europe to build sovereign AI systems of its own. If America can restrict access to critical AI technology at short notice, what does that mean for the rest of the world? Plus, Katie has been at Founders Forum, where she interviewed Katie King, the founder and CEO of BioOrbit, a company building a pharmaceutical lab in space to transform the way we treat cancer.Do you agree with the social media ban? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducers: Marnie Duke & Ethan SillsExecutive Producer: Priyanka Deladia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthropic's warning: AI will start building itself 11.06.2026 37m

Anthropic has warned about the next phase of 'recursive AI', where agents could become capable enough to build and train models themselves without human intervention. The idea is that “self-improving” armies of agents could create purely AI-run, zero-person companies that optimise while you’re sleeping. If that’s the story in Silicon Valley, in the UK Katie is at London Tech Week, where everyone from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to AMD’s Lisa Su is focused on tech sovereignty and the question of who owns, controls and shapes AI, not just how fast the technology is advancing. Plus, Cisco’s Jeetu Patel joins Danny and Katie to discuss the potentially catastrophic consequences of the agentic era for cybersecurity, and share his insights on the trillion-dollar IPOs potentially coming from OpenAI, SpaceX and Anthropic.Is Britain losing the AI race? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS: How to turn AI pilots into real business value 11.06.2026 22m

This episode of The Times Tech Podcast is sponsored by KPMG.Businesses are spending heavily on AI, but is it actually changing how they work? Katie Prescott is joined by Paul Henninger, UK Head of Technology and Data and Global AI Leader at KPMG, and Professor Alan Brown from the University of Exeter Business School, author of Making AI Work for Britain, to ask why so many AI pilots fail to become real business value.They discuss the gap between hype and implementation, why the most useful applications of AI are often the least glamorous, and what leaders need to do before AI can reshape work across an organisation.Visit https://kpmg.com/uk/en/services/ai to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Move over Harvey Specter! The rise of AI lawyers 04.06.2026 47m

A strange new experiment where AI agents run their own societies free from humans has raised questions about whether we can really trust these bots to act on our behalf. In the study by Emergence AI, agents attempted thefts, physical assaults, and even arsons – all inside a simulated world.So what happens when AI agents move from experiments into real workplaces? This week on The Times Tech podcast, Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott discuss the risks and hear from Gabe Peryera, the Co-Founder of Harvey, the legal AI company named after the character in the TV drama Suits, about whether AI agents can really replace the jobs of lawyers. Plus, Anthropic eyes a potential trillion-dollar IPO.Could AI lawyers replace people? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: GettyRead more: ‘Big Law’ is leaning in to AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why the Pope is taking on Silicon Valley and AI 28.05.2026 34m

Pope Leo has warned that Big Tech has too much power over humanity’s future. Danny Fortson and Mark Sellman discuss what his warning on AI means and why Anthropic was at the Vatican. Meanwhile, in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer is weighing tougher rules on children’s social media use after doctors compared its harms to smoking. Plus, the CEO of Proxima Fusion talks about how to power AI by recreating the reaction that powers the sun. Is nuclear fusion the future of clean energy? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie Duke Executive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inside Elon Musk’s trillion dollar mission to colonise Mars 21.05.2026 36m

Two big events have put Elon Musk in the spotlight. First, a jury has dismissed Elon Musk’s case against Sam Altman and OpenAI after three weeks of testimony. But while this blockbuster trial was taking place, the Tesla CEO was making plans to get his other company, SpaceX, onto the public stock market. The space exploration company has filed for a huge IPO that will likely be the largest in history, valuing the company at up to $1.75 trillion and making Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott are joined by Wedbush Securities' Dan Ives to take a deeper look at the world’s richest man and discuss why this massive valuation is raising eyebrows.Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The incredible stakes of Elon Musk's trial against OpenAI 14.05.2026 37m

Sam Altman took the stand this week to defend himself and his company against a lawsuit by Elon Musk. The three-week long trial has featured some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, including Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI cofounder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. As the trial nears its end, Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott talk about why the stakes are so high and debate whether this is a case of sour grapes, or if OpenAI did actually “steal a charity” from Musk. Plus, the founder of Raspberry Pi on the future of AI and how he feels about his microcomputer being used to power AI agents such as OpenClaw.Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk vs OpenAI and the Met Gala tech takeover 07.05.2026 39m

The Met Gala has been dubbed the “Tech Gala” after a heavy Silicon Valley presence and sponsorship from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. But as tech billionaires try to win over culture, Elon Musk’s court battle with OpenAI is exposing the messy origins of the AI boom.Danny Fortson has been covering the California trial, now in its second week, where OpenAI president Greg Brockman has taken the stand. He and Katie Prescott discuss Big Tech’s cultural rebrand, the courtroom drama, and why companies from Coinbase to Meta are increasingly linking layoffs and restructuring to AI. Plus, Bebo co-founder Michael Birch on relaunching the social network and why he thinks AI could become an existential threat.Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI in security and defence: is tech making us safer? 30.04.2026 42m

Alphabet, Google's parent company, has reportedly signed a deal allowing the Pentagon use of its AI for classified purposes. It's just one of many recent deals between Silicon Valley tech companies and the US military. Meanwhile, tech company Palantir says future AI warfare is inevitable and is calling on big tech bosses to "participate in the defence of the nation". Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott discuss this cultural shift, and whether AI is actually making us safer or enabling the rise of the ‘Big Brother’ state. Plus, Julian Cracknell, CTO of defence company BAE Systems, talks about the future of defence and killer robots. Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to build your AI agent 23.04.2026 40m

Meet Norman: the launch of the OpenClaw AI agent has "opened the next frontier of AI to everyone" says Jensen Huang, chief exec of the tech giant Nvidia. But as these agents start doing work that once got done by humans, this latest technological revolution has provoked questions about what the future of human work - and jobs - will look like. Katie Prescott has built her own agent, Norman, and in this episode she talks Danny Fortson through the pros and cons of having your very own digital butler.Plus, Box CEO Aaron Levie says there will soon be more AI agents than humans, and that the internet will have to be redesigned for them, not people.Do you have an AI agent? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukRead more: AI agents are everywhere, but paying for them is becoming a problemProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is AI anxiety fuelling real world hostility? 16.04.2026 38m

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 DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka Deladia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why data centres became a target in the Iran war 09.04.2026 40m

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 DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social media ban for children and Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment 02.04.2026 41m

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.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forget your employees – how hard is your AI agent working? 27.03.2026 42m

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.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will this AI actress be the next Oscar winner? 20.03.2026 41m

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/Particle6Clips: The Epstein Files, Tilly Norwood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.