The Times Tech Podcast

AI chatbots are being used by millions. But are they safe? Danny Fortson speaks to Ross Harper, the co-founder and CEO of Limbic AI, a company which has developed artificial intelligence software which can be used clinically as part of mental health treatment. Limbic is now used in 50% of NHS trusts, and has its eye on being used in all 50 States by the end of 2025. They talk about the future - an...

Danny is joined by the Times' Technology correspondent Mark Sellman whio has been spending time with the UK's newest supercomputer, Isambard AI, which has become the world's 11th most powerful supercomputer and could be used to develop British LLMs (Large Language Models). Plus, flirtatious or insulting AI companions, and a government plan to ban businesses from paying hackers ransoms. Hosted on A...

Danny goes solo this week, in old-school Danny in the Valley style. He speaks to Sam Rodriques, the founder and CEO of FutureHouse – a non-profit organisation developing AI scientists that could revolutionise human discovery. Plus, he rounds up the week in tech – from NVIDIA’s chips making a return to China, to Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plan to build data centres the size of Manhattan. Hosted on...

Katie speaks to Dylan Field - the CEO of Figma. The design software firm has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange with Dylan calling it the most ‘interesting, intense, and fun time’. Danny and Katie also talk about Linda Yaccarino resigning as CEO of X and discuss a so-called ‘Panda watch’ creeping over Silicon Valley!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

Katie joins the CEO of Wayve, Alex Kendall, for a journey round the busy 'higgledy-piggledy' roads of London in a driverless car, to see the tech in real action. Plus a special AI news roundup on how Sam Altman & Satya Nadella's relationship may be souring; how Meta might be finding AI's best talent, and defining fair use when it comes to the training of LLMs. Have any questions, or feedback?...

Danny meets up with Alex Blania, the CEO and one of the co-founders, alongside Sam Altman, of Tools for Humanity. Their project Worldcoin, aims to help us weed out AI imitators by verifying humans online. All you have to do is scan your iris on one of their orbs to get a unique biometric ID and some cryptocurrency.  Danny and Katie also take on Tesla’s robotaxi rollout, and question...

Katie speaks to Arthur Mensch, the 32 year old co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI who believes European sovereignty will be under threat if it does not gain traction in the race for AI supremacy. Plus, does Meta's $15bn investment in Scale AI suggest Mark Zuckerberg is anxious they are falling behind in that same race? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie is at 'Founders Forum' in the Oxfordshire countryside surrounded by titans from the world of tech as well as robots, flying cars, and a host of expensive gear proclaiming everlasting health. She talks to four of the 'Rising Stars' who may one day return as titans themselves - from a French startup working on robots that burrow inside your brain to AI tools creating new materials from scratch...

Sebastian Siemiatkowski joins the pod from the SXSW festival in London to tell the story of Klarna, the "buy now, pay later" fintech company he co-founded and currently leads. Press coverage suggests that he has gone all in on AI at the company; he claims his position is more nuanced. But what is clear, in his mind, is that an AI-induced recession may be unavoidable. Any thoughts or questions, get...

Last week Sam Altman announced the acquisition of Sir Jony Ive's hardware startup, io, in order to create a new class of AI-native devices. This week, Katie and Danny ask whether this could be the bet of the century and more than just an expensive video shoot. Meanwhile did Anthropic's early model show a worrying tendency to blackmail it's users? Plus, Danny speaks to the founder of a school where...

The internet, GPS, autonomous vehicles... they all have one thing in common: they're existence is in large part down to the DARPA (the US Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). And the UK is trying to repeat the success of that agency with its own: ARIA (the Advanced Research and Invention Agency). The organisation's CEO, Ilan Gur, joins Katie to discuss how. Any thoug...

Katie and Danny are joined for a conversation with Jon McNeil. For a pivotal 30 month period, Jon was President of Tesla and worked closely with Elon Musk. And also just where is the EV market currently at? Is the future of driving autonomous? And how best to invest in our AI future? Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Sam Altman wrote a letter to staff at OpenAI explaining a new structure for the company. Katie and Danny react to that and the news this week that Deliveroo had agreed to a £2.9billion takeover from DoorDash. Plus, an interview with the subject of Netflix's Tinder Swindler, who in a world of deepfakes and online scammers wants us to trust again. Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@th...

Danny's second obsession (after humanoid robots) is space, so he's been speaking to someone sending satellites into orbit. No, not Elon Musk - though naturally his plans to colonise Mars do come up. Will Marshall is the co-founder and CEO of Planet Labs, a company which provides often revealing imagery of Earth in high definition. Any thoughts or questions, get in touch - techpod@thetimes.co.uk Ho...

Finally, the crypto episode is here. And after a lowdown on the vibe shift towards the industry in Washington, Katie is joined by Binance's new CEO, Richard Teng, who is tasked with making the case for the company that was beset by scandal under previous CEO and founder, Changpeng Zhao “CZ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Petersen is the CEO of Flexport, a company that plans and manages shipping globally. Perfectly positioned, then, to lay out the inside story on how companies have been affected by President Trump's tariffs and what happens next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if there was a device that could record every conversation, every interaction, and then transcribed your entire life? Well there is, the Pendant, and according to its creator, it isn’t like an episode of Black Mirror at all. In fact, its creator, and CEO of Limitless AI, Dan Siroker, believes it can "to free the human mind from its biological limitations". He joins the pod to speak to a scept...

It's been almost 20 years since Drew Houston founded Dropbox in an effort to solve the problem of forgotten USB sticks. But how is the company innovating in a now much busier market? Plus Softbank makes a $40billion investment in OpenAI, while a new book allegedly tells the inside story of Sam Altman's 2023 (temporary) dismissal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny has been delving deeper into his humanoid robot obsession as he interviews the CEO of Texas based company, Apptronik. Plus, what went wrong at 23andMe as the once buzzy biotech startup files for bankruptcy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny reports from the Nvidia GTC event. And he and Katie discuss whether some of the biggest tech companies in the US really are currently losing money. Plus, a Silicon Valley start-up, Loyal, is developing drugs to extend the lives of dogs - so just how close are they to success? It's CEO, Celine Halioua shares the latest breakthroughs and what this could mean for human longevity. (And what does...

Hinge CEO, Justin McLeod, joins the podcast to discuss how online dating Apps have changed dating (for good or bad) and how AI may change it even more. While Danny argues that being direct might just be better than tech! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Steiner, the CEO of Ocado, drops by the studio to discuss in detail his expectations for the future of food deliveries with the use of robotics and humanoid robots. Elsewhere, President Trump wants is making the USA the "Crypto Capital of the World". And Danny gets personal as he and Kate reminisce as Skype is "retired".  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is nuclear power the answer to energy hungry Artificial Intelligence? Matt Loszak CEO & Cofounder of Aalo Atomics thinks so. Plus, British artists send a disapproving open letter about AI to the Government, while Elon Musk sends a strongly worded email to Government employees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce & owner of Time Magazine explains his vision of the future of work. Plus he talks President Trump, Elon Musk and has a pop at Microsoft's AI too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie and Danny explore Elon Musk's $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI, and Sam Altman's instant dismissal of the bid, as well as decoding the rest of the exclusive interview earlier in the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.