FT Tech Tonic
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.
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Tech in 2026: Silicon Valley’s power plays and players
<p>How will Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures shape technology — and politics — in 2026? Last year, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg aligned themselves with Donald Trump. Where have these relationships left the industry today? The push to break up Big Tech appears to be fading, but the race for AI dominance has sparked new risks and rivalries, as well as regulatory flashpoints.</p><br><p>In this episode of Tech Tonic, Murad Ahmed is joined by FT tech comment editor Elaine Moore, San Francisco correspondent Hannah Murphy and bureau chief Stephen Morris to discuss Musk’s latest Grok chatbot, Zuckerberg’s evolving s...
Tech in 2026: Inside the AI bubble
<p>Is 2026 the year that AI hype meets reality? In a new mini-series from Tech Tonic, the FT’s tech editor Murad Ahmed speaks with the paper’s reporters about what they'll be watching.</p><br><p>Do tech industry insiders think the huge amounts of capital that have driven the AI boom will continue? How will challenges to large-language model AI systems play out this year? And are chief executives expecting AI technologies to force job cuts?</p><br><p>In this episode, we hear from the FT’s venture capital correspondent George Hammond, AI correspondent Melissa Heikkilä and writer of the AI...
Untold: Toxic Legacy, Ep. 1
<p>Laura Hughes receives a tip that horses are dropping dead in Wales. As she investigates, she finds decades of academic studies researching the problem. She learns these aren’t isolated incidents. Something is spreading across the countryside. It’s undetectable to humans, nobody knows it’s there — until they fall ill. For more information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.</p><br><p>To listen to the rest of the series, find Untold on your favourite podcast platform by clicking here!</p><br><p>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</p><...
Defying death: The future of forever
<p>Gene and stem cell therapies have been touted as the next phase in the longevity movement, with promises to rejuvenate the body at the cellular level and reverse the effects of ageing. But, as the prospect of life extension moves into the mainstream, it presents big questions for society as a whole. Are we ready for a world where people live much longer lives?</p><br><p>In this final episode, the FT’s Michael Peel and Hannah Kuchler dive into the tough moral questions at the heart of the longevity movement. Hannah speaks to the team at Fountain Li...
Defying death: The longevity lab
<p>Singapore has become a model for longevity-focused healthcare. With an ageing population and citizens willing to spend money on anti-ageing treatments, the government and private companies are spending big on new ways to slow ageing, and help people live healthier for longer.</p><br><p>In this episode the FT’s Michael Peel visits the city-state to find out how longevity treatments are moving into the mainstream. He meets venture capitalist Boyang Wang, personal trainer Tiat Lim (‘Singapore’s Benjamin Button’), and longevity clinic founder Allen Law. Plus, we hear from Tan Kiat How, Singapore’s senior minister of state for...
Defying death: The origins of ageing
<p>How much do we really know about ageing? For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the biology of the ageing process - what happens to our bodies as we get older? And is it possible to slow that process down or even stop it all together?</p><br><p>In this series of Tech Tonic, the FT’s Hannah Kuchler and Michael Peel look into the past, present and future of longevity - the wellness movement focused on extending and bettering your quality of life. Episode 1 follows Hannah as she speaks with UCL professor David Gems about the hi...
Coming soon: Defying death
<p>Investors are spending billions of dollars on novel ways to extend human life through inventive treatments, therapies, and even manipulating our genes. And increasingly, it seems as though anti-ageing efforts have moved from the super rich to a mass market consumer industry. In this series, we’re covering the past, present and future of the longevity movement. We’ll be looking at where the fixation on longevity is coming from, and trying to understand the practical and ethical issues at the heart of this cutting-edge field of research. </p><br><p>From Silicon Valley fantasies, to Singaporean health spas, to Co...
Introducing Untold: Toxic Legacy
<p>Introducing Toxic Legacy, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Laura Hughes uncovers a lead poisoning epidemic across the UK. You might be living with lead and not know it: the toxin is often invisible to the human eye, but wreaks havoc on our bodies once we’re exposed.</p><br><p>Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.</p><br><p>For information on how to live safely with lead, please visit the LEAPP Alliance website.</p><p > Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.</p>
Mission to Mars: Bad science fiction
<p>For decades, science fiction writers have envisaged colonising Mars, even building cities on the red planet. Advocates for Mars exploration, such as Elon Musk, want to make that vision a reality. But can humans really live in an alien world? </p><br><p>The FT’s space industry editor Peggy Hollinger speaks to researchers about the physical and mental pressures astronauts would face living millions of miles from home and to scientists studying the suitability of Mars’ atmosphere and soil. </p><br><p>This episode of Tech Tonic is hosted by Peggy Hollinger and produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The senior...
Mission to Mars: The new space race
<p>US President Donald Trump wants to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”. But more than 50 years on from the moon landings, America’s space agency, Nasa, is in disarray. Meanwhile, China is forging ahead with its own plans for manned missions to the Moon and perhaps to Mars. Who will win the race to the red planet? </p><br><p>The FT’s space industry editor Peggy Hollinger speaks to former and current Nasa employees about the challenges facing the space agency, and to Jared Isaacman, Trump’s one-time nominee for Nasa administrator.</p><br><p>This episode...
