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The Times Tech Podcast

The Times Tech Podcast

The Sunday Times 476 Episodes Jul 9, 2026

From Silicon Valley to The City, tech journalists Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott bring you the inside track on the new industrial revolution. Co-hosted from San Francisco and London, this weekly podcast delivers the latest news and freshest interviews with the people creating the future. As West Coast Correspondent for The Sunday Times, Danny is on the ground to witness the technological whirlwind that first roared out Silicon Valley. From London, working as The Times' Technology Business Editor, Katie has seen the waves of boom and bust rolling through one of the world's financial capitals. Together they explore this strange new world of high finance and tech giants, explaining how we got here and what is just around the corner.

Episodes

Can beautifying AI data centres save them from backlash? Jul 9, 2026 39:55 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
BONUS: The hidden technology behind Wimbledon Jul 4, 2026 13:14 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
PayPal’s Max Levchin on Donald Trump, Elon Musk and mega-IPOs Jul 2, 2026 45:45 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 admi
Why Europe fears America’s AI power Jun 25, 2026 39:36 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 o
Keir Starmer vs Big Tech - the UK's under-16s social media ban Jun 18, 2026 34:22 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', intens
Anthropic's warning: AI will start building itself Jun 11, 2026 37:23 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 f
BONUS: How to turn AI pilots into real business value Jun 11, 2026 22:49 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
Move over Harvey Specter! The rise of AI lawyers Jun 4, 2026 47:12 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 podcas
Why the Pope is taking on Silicon Valley and AI May 28, 2026 34:08 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 th
Inside Elon Musk’s trillion dollar mission to colonise Mars May 21, 2026 36:18 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 larges
The incredible stakes of Elon Musk's trial against OpenAI May 14, 2026 37:43 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
Elon Musk vs OpenAI and the Met Gala tech takeover May 7, 2026 39:48 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 stan

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