

FT Tech Tonic
Financial Times
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 14, 2019 • 22min
Jaan Tallinn on AI safety
John Thornhill talks to Jaan Tallinn, founding engineer at Skype and Kazaa, about his subsequent career as a tech investor and his concerns about AI safety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 7, 2019 • 25min
Wanted: work for humans
Madhumita Murgia discusses what happens when robots can do most of the work humans do with Calum Chace of the Economic Singularity Club, Mike Wooldridge, professor of Computer Science at Oxford University and Kathryn Parsons, founder of Decoded Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 30, 2019 • 20min
What kind of art can AI produce?
Mathematician Marcus du Sautoy puts his theories about creative AI to the test before a live audience at the recent FT Weekend Festival in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 23, 2019 • 28min
John Maeda on designing the future
Design guru John Maeda tells Tim Bradshaw why he thinks a diversity of viewpoints and listening to what consumers want will be more valuable to the companies of the future than creating the next breakthrough technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 16, 2019 • 24min
Sarah Chan on neural interfaces
Bioethicist Sarah Chan contributed to a report this month on neurotechnology by the UK’s senior scientific academy. She talks to John Thornhill about the potential health benefits of neural interfaces but also the difficulty of regulating the commercial use of devices that interact with our brains. Read the Royal Society's report hereAll FT stories will be free to read on Wednesday September 18th when there will be a 24-hour paywall freeze. Here are a couple of recommendations to get you started:Neural interfaces should upgrade, not degrade, humansHow China dodged a trade war recession Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 9, 2019 • 24min
Alice Bentinck on harnessing tech talent
Alice Bentinck, co-founder of Entrepreneur First, tells John Thornhill about her mission to harness the entrepreneurial talents of a new generation of people from diverse backgrounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 2, 2019 • 26min
Improving decision making through AI
Vishal Chatrath, chief executive and co-founder of Prowler, tells John Thornhill how his company is helping to improve decision making in the worlds of finance and logistics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 26, 2019 • 30min
Priya Lakhani on AI's power to transform education
Priya Lakhani, founder and chief executive AI company Century Tech, talks to John Thornhill about her mission to improve the life chances of students around the world using AI-assisted learning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 19, 2019 • 24min
Nicolas Berggruen on democracy in the digital age
John Thornhill talks to the billionaire investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen about his book: Renovating Democracy: Governing in the Age of Globalization and Digital Capitalism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 12, 2019 • 36min
Ben Goertzel on benevolent robots
Ben Goertzel talks to John Thornhill about his work for Hanson Robotics, the company that created the robot Sophia, about SingularityNET, the blockchain-based AI marketplace he founded, and about his belief that artificial general intelligence, transhumanism and benevolent robots are not too far in the future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.