Tim Berners-Lee On Reshaping The Web FT Tech Tonic podcast

24:56

Defence tech is booming in the US. Start-ups building drones, missiles and AI systems are competing with established companies for a piece of the US defence budget. Are these new participants the future of the defence industry? John Thornhill hears from investors and founders, and we visit the neighbourhood of El Segundo in Los Angeles, dubbed the Silicon Valley of defence tech. Free to read: The age of drone warfare is disrupting the defence industry US defence industry braced for tech shake-up under Trump The appetite for US defence tech is growing This episode of Tech Tonic is produced by Peris Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Joseph Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Future weapons: Ukraine’s army of drones 28:06

5 days ago28:06

28:06

The conflict in Ukraine has turned into the world’s first fully fledged drone war. The remote-controlled flying machines are now used by both sides for transporting supplies, surveilling the enemy and carrying out attacks. John Thornhill visits Kyiv to learn more about how the war has sparked a boom in Ukrainian defence tech that has changed the battlefield. He sees first-hand how these drones are made, and unpacks what the rest of the world can learn from Ukraine about future wars. Free to read: Ukraine is winning the drone start-up war Ukraine weighs lifting arms export ban to scale up drone industry Ukraine’s battle against Russia in maps and charts This episode of Tech Tonic is produced by Peris Love, Edwin Lane and Kateryna Malofeyev, with special thanks to Chris Miller. The executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Joseph Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Coming soon: The future weapons of war 1:08

12 days ago1:08

1:08

New technologies such as drones, robots and AI systems are finding their way into conflict zones around the world. In this season of Tech Tonic, John Thornhill looks at how this new type of warfare is transforming conflicts in places such as Ukraine and Gaza. He also explores how start-ups in the US and Europe are challenging the established defence industry with their cutting-edge weaponry. Free to read from FT.com: The age of drone warfare is disrupting the defence industry Ukraine is winning the drone start-up war Palantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contracts Tech Tonic is presented by John Thornhill. The producers are Josh Gabert-Doyon and Persis Love. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Making money from AI: After DeepSeek 22:03

10 weeks ago22:03

22:03

The biggest companies in tech are fighting to be the leader in generative AI - even as the path to profitability for the technology remains unclear. So what’s the long game for companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta? And what does the rise of Chinese start-up DeepSeek mean for AI companies with massive valuations? In the second episode in our series on the business of AI, the FT’s AI editor Madhumita Murgia speaks with FT technology reporter Cristina Criddle as well as Vahap Can, an instructor on a prompt engineering course at Capital City College, Anton Korinek, a professor in the department of economics at the University of Virginia, and Alex Chalmers, a writer, researcher formerly of Air Street Capital. Free to read: DeepSeek’s ‘aha moment’ creates new way to build powerful AI with less money Liang Wenfeng, the DeepSeek founder panicking the tech world OpenAI targets 1bn users in next phase of growth Meta sticks with big bet on AI even after DeepSeek shook markets This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Making money from AI: Searching for a ‘killer app’ 24:25

11 weeks ago24:25

24:25

Is generative AI over-valued? At the heart of the generative AI boom has been the premise that a ‘killer app’ for AI will make investors a return on their capital. But it’s unclear how those use cases will actually make money for businesses that deploy them. Plus - is the problem a lack of AI take-up among employees? We hear from Joe Richardson, head of operations at Octopus Energy, Jim Covello, head of global equity research at Goldman Sachs and George Lee, co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute for a debate about the investment case for AI; Victor Riparbelli, chief executive of AI video start-up Synthesia, Amjad Masad, chief executive of coding start-up Replit, and Claudia Harris , chief executive at tech training company Makers. Free to read: UK artificial intelligence start-up Synthesia hits $2bn valuation AI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ status This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Coming soon: Will AI ever make any money? 0:46

11 weeks ago0:46

0:46

Generative AI is impressive, but can it be profitable? Since the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022, Silicon Valley investors and tech giants have poured billions into developing generative AI models and tools. But when will it start generating returns? The FT’s artificial intelligence editor Madhumita Murgia investigates efforts to develop a ‘killer app’ for AI, the use of AI in the workplace, and asks if some of the most highly valued AI companies in Silicon Valley are getting it all wrong. Free to read: OpenAI targets 1bn users in next phase of growth AI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ status Meta sticks with big bet on AI even after DeepSeek shook markets This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Tech in 2025: The EU vs Big Tech 33:48

12 weeks ago33:48

33:48

The past two years have seen the EU bring in landmark legislation to curb the power of big tech companies such as Apple, Google and Meta, threatening to break up the companies that do not play by its rules on privacy and competition. But not everyone agrees with its approach. Murad Ahmed speaks to Aura Salla, former lobbyist for Meta and now an MEP in Brussels, who says EU rules will work to rein in Big Tech, and may even harm the development of Europe’s own tech industry. Free to read: EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta Europe’s rushed attempt to set the rules for AI What impact is the Digital Markets Act having? This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Tech in 2025: China’s AI ‘Sputnik moment’ 25:40

13 weeks ago25:40

25:40

The Chinese company DeepSeek has shocked the world with an AI model that could rival those built by the biggest artificial intelligence companies in Silicon Valley. For years it has been assumed that China’s AI companies were trailing in the wake of US rivals such as OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT. Murad Ahmed, the FT’s technology news editor, is joined by the FT’s China technology correspondent Eleanor Olcott to discuss whether DeepSeek’s model shows that China is catching up in the AI race, with expert analysis from Tiezhen Wang from AI open-source community platform Hugging Face. Free to read: How small Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek shocked Silicon Valley Why Nvidia investors are spooked by Chinese AI upstart DeepSeek OpenAI’s Sam Altman vows ‘better models’ as China’s DeepSeek disrupts global race This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Tech in 2025: All hail the AI revolution 32:00

13 weeks ago32:00

32:00

Murad Ahmed interviews Reid Hoffman - billionaire founder of LinkedIn, venture capitalist, self-proclaimed AI optimist and generally speaking a big name in Silicon Valley. Hoffman discusses the enthusiasm for artificial intelligence sweeping the Valley among both start-ups and Big Tech companies, as well as the investors like him pumping billions of dollars into them. He also talks about the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, and the potential effects - good and bad - on the US tech industry from lighter regulation to the threat of tariffs and the influence of Elon Musk. Free to read: What Trump means for Silicon Valley Joe Biden says ‘oligarchy’ emerging in US in final White House address Sam Altman reckons with growing threat to OpenAI: Elon Musk This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Tech in 2025: Trump and the tech bros 38:08

14 weeks ago38:08

38:08

Incoming president Donald Trump has shown he’s ready to act decisively on tech, giving a stay of execution to TikTok after the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on the social media platform. But how will he deal with the rest of the tech sector and how much influence will Elon Musk wield? The FT’s technology news editor Murad Ahmed is joined by Washington correspondent Joe Miller, and Hannah Murphy and Stephen Morris from the FT’s San Francisco bureau to discuss the potential impact of a Trump presidency on everything from social media to artificial intelligence. Free to read: Joe Biden says ‘oligarchy’ emerging in US in final White House address Sam Altman reckons with growing threat to OpenAI: Elon Musk Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg seeks ‘active role’ in Donald Trump’s tech policies This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Tech in 2025: Hi, I’m your AI-powered assistant 27:45

15 weeks ago27:45

27:45

Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, generative AI tools have been helping us answer questions, write essays and create AI images and videos. But now, tech companies are promising AI tools that actually complete everyday tasks on our behalf. Murad Ahmed is joined by Madhumita Murgia, the FT’s AI editor, who has been speaking to Dario Amodei, chief executive of Silicon Valley AI company Anthropic. They discuss plans to create ‘AI agents’ that could do anything from replying to emails on our behalf to ordering our weekly grocery shopping online, as well as some of the challenges that leading AI companies face as they develop ever-more sophisticated AI systems. Free to read: Move over copilots: meet the next generation of AI powered assistants OpenAI bets on AI agents becoming mainstream by 2025 Anthropic’s Dario Amodei: Democracies must maintain the lead in AI This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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Coming soon: How will technology shape the world in 2025? 0:44

16 weeks ago0:44

0:44

In a new season of Tech Tonic, the FT’s technology editor Murad Ahmed asks some of the big questions likely to shape the tech world in 2025, with the help of big names from the tech industry and the FT’s expert reporters and columnists. We’ll hear about the AI industry’s plans for the next generation of tools powered by generative AI, and how Donald Trump’s presidency - and Elon Musk - might influence Silicon Valley. Plus, stories of Big Tech regulation in Brussels and China’s rise as a tech power. This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joseph Enrick Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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The geopolitics of chips: Nvidia and the AI boom 23:30

21 weeks ago23:30

23:30

Amid the artificial intelligence boom, demand for AI chips has exploded. But this push for chips also creates new challenges for countries and companies. How will countries cope with the huge amounts of energy these chips consume? Will anyone compete with Nvidia to supply the AI chips of the future? And can China develop its own chips to fuel its own AI development? James Kynge visits a data centre to find out how advanced AI chips are causing new problems for the sector. In Phoenix, Arizona, James meets Mark Bauer, co-leader with JLL's Data Center Solutions group, and Frank Eichenhorst, vice president of data centre operations at PhoenixNAP. How will the clash of titans play out between NVIDIA and Big Tech? And we hear from Amir Salek, senior managing director at Cerberus Capital and the brains behind Google’s TPU chip; Tamay Besiroglu, associate director of Epoch AI; Dylan Patel, lead analyst at consulting firm SemiAnalysis; and the FT’s global tech correspondent Tim Bradshaw to find out more about the battle for AI chips. SMIC did not respond to a request for comment. Free links to read more on this topic: Nvidia and the AI boom face a scaling problem Chip challengers try to break Nvidia’s grip on AI market Amazon steps up effort to build AI chips that can rival Nvidia TSMC says it alerted US to potential violation of China AI chip controls Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Joseph Enrick Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

1
The geopolitics of chips: Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Shield’ 22:45

22 weeks ago22:45

22:45

The global tech industry depends on Taiwan’s semiconductor chips and many believe the sector plays a key role in the island’s national security, helping stave off an invasion from mainland China. But as relations between China and Taiwan worsen, some countries are taking steps to become less reliant on Taiwanese chips. Already, the US, Germany and Japan have lured Taiwanese semiconductor makers to their own shores. Could that make Taiwan a more vulnerable target for attack? Presenter James Kynge visits the island and speaks to FT greater China correspondent Kathrin Hille, Taiwan's science and technology minister Cheng-Wen Wu, the president of Taiwan's semiconductor industry association Chih-I Wu, UMC associate vice-president Michael Wang, and Hsin-mei Cheng, writer and producer of 'Zero Day', a TV show about a hypothetical invasion from the mainland. Free links to read more on this topic: US and Taiwan seek to strengthen drone supply chain to keep out China Taiwan’s new leader faces China threat and voters left behind by chip boom Taiwan on the faultline Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Sam Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Kathrin Hille. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

FT Tech Tonic

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The geopolitics of chips: A manufacturing miracle 31:10

23 weeks ago31:10