338 | The Next Big Thing

David talks to John Naughton about what’s coming next in the tech revolution and where it’s taking us. From quantum computing to cryptocurrency, from AI to the Internet of Things: what’s hype, what’s for real and how will it shape our politics. Plus we discuss what China understands about technology that the rest of the world might have missed.

274 | The Politics of Loneliness

David talks to economist and author Noreena Hertz about loneliness and its impact on all our lives.  How does the experience of loneliness shape contemporary democracy?  What kind of politics could make us feel more connected?  Can technology bring us together or is it driving us further apart?  Plus we discuss the consequences of the pandemic for the future of work and the possibility of building a better world.

216 | Predictions for 2030 with Azeem Azhar

An extra episode with Azeem Azhar, tech entrepreneur and host of the Exponential View podcast and newsletter.  We talk about Azeem's predictions for what will shape politics and technology over the next
decade, from climate change to artificial intelligence.  Plus we discuss the Dominic Cummings agenda: will the UK government really be able to harness the dynamism of the tech start-up mindset within the hidebound
structures of Whitehall?  The first of a two part special - you can find the other half of this conversation at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exponential-view-with-azeem-azhar/id1172218725 and the newsletter at https://www.exponentialview.co/

202 | Tech Election - Part 1

In a special live edition recorded at the Bristol Festival of Economics we discuss the impact of the technology revolution on democratic politics. Has the rise of automation contributed to the rise of populism? Is China winning the AI wars against the West? And do any democratic politicians - from Elizabeth Warren to Jeremy Corbyn - have the policies to get big tech back under control? With Rana Foroohar, author of Don't Be Evil, and Carl Frey, author of The Technology Trap, plus Diane Coyle, founder and programme director of the Bristol Festival of Economics. Next week: the Facebook election.

189 | Re-Engineering Humanity

David talks to Brett Frischmann about how so-called 'smart’ machines may be producing more machine-like humans. From GPS to Fitbit to Alexa to the Internet of Things: what is our interaction with new technology doing to change the kind of people we really are? https://www.reengineeringhumanity.com/

175 | Talking Politics Guide to ... The Gilded Age

We talk to historian Sarah Churchwell about the Gilded Age in late nineteenth century America and the comparisons with today. Rampant inequality, racial conflict, fights over immigration, technological revolution: is Trump's America repeating the pattern or is it something new?