181 episodes
FT Tech Tonic Financial Times
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- Technology
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4.4 • 106 Ratings
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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.
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Can AI help us speak to animals? Part two
A hardware revolution in recording devices and a software revolution in artificial intelligence has convinced some scientists that humans will eventually be able to ‘translate’ animal and even plant sounds into human language. But what would be the consequences of humans learning to ‘speak whale’, chat with bats or converse with elephants? The FT’s innovation editor John Thornhill and producer Persis Love explore the ethics of potential human-to-animal communication.
Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
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Google Translate for the zoo? How humans might talk to animals
Karen Bakker, scientist and author, 1971-2023
How generative AI really works
Credits: Elephant bee rumble from Lucy King; plant sounds from Lilach Hadany
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Can AI help us speak to animals? Part one
A hardware revolution in recording devices and a software revolution in artificial intelligence is enabling researchers to listen in to all kinds of conversations outside the human hearing range, a field known as bioacoustics. Some scientists now believe these developments will also allow us to ‘translate’ animal sounds into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love ask whether we’re moving closer to being able to ‘speak whale’ or even to chat with bats.
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Google Translate for the zoo? How humans might talk to animals
Karen Bakker, scientist and author, 1971-2023
How generative AI really works
Credits: Sperm whale sounds from Project CETI; honeyhunter calls from Claire Spottiswoode
Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Can AI help us speak to animals? Karen Bakker interview
The Canadian scientist and author Karen Bakker, who died unexpectedly in August this year, was a leading voice in the bioacoustic research community. Her 2022 book, The Sounds of Life, explained how it might one day be possible to create a kind of Google Translate for animals and was the inspiration behind this Tech Tonic series. This episode contains the full interview that we recorded with her. We are posting it as a tribute to her remarkable work.
Free links:
Google Translate for the zoo? How humans might talk to animals
Karen Bakker, scientist and author, 1971-2023
How generative AI really works
Credits: Elephant bee rumble from Lucy King
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Coming soon: Can AI help us speak to animals?
Some scientists believe that rapid advances in artificial intelligence may also hold the key to decoding animal sounds, allowing us to ‘translate’ them into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love explore how the same technology that powers ChatGPT is being applied to research in animal communication. Could we one day learn to ‘speak whale’ or even chat with bats? And if so, can we trust ourselves to do so responsibly?
Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
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The quantum revolution: Live at Founders Forum
A bonus episode to go with our Quantum Revolution season. The FT’s John Thornhill and Madhumita Murgia host a panel of experts at the Founders Forum conference, discussing the promise of quantum computing and the state of the quantum industry today. Featuring Steve Brierley, founder and chief executive of Riverlane, a company building the algorithms and software for quantum computers; Ilana Wisby, CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits, a company building commercially available quantum computers; and Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners and an investor in quantum technology.
All six episodes of The Quantum Revolution are available now on the Tech Tonic feed.
Presented by Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill, produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Edwin Lane. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Introducing: The Russian Banker
Who is Sergei Leontiev? To the US asylum system, he’s an exiled Russian banker who was persecuted by the state and forced to flee. To Russia, he’s said to be responsible for massive fraud. On The Russian Banker, a new series from the Financial Times, reporters Courtney Weaver and Stefania Palma try to uncover the truth, and find a story that tells us about Russia today and how people in the west build stories about who’s good and who’s bad. The Russian Banker is a special series that will run on the Behind the Money podcast starting Aug. 30. Listen to The Russian Banker by subscribing to the Behind the Money podcast here.
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Customer Reviews
Brilliant and informative
Great show with the Financial Times’ signature journalism. I’ve really enjoyed episodes on crypto and on clean tech.
Interesting series on crypto
As a layman I have found the latest series on crypto really interesting. It has provided some great insight i to the trends and technology.
Not up to the usual standard.
The recent episodes “A sceptic’s guide to crypto” by Jemima Kelly should be renamed, as she is far more than a sceptic, she clearly has become polarised in her views and actively hates the industry.
This is a shame as I was hoping for a balanced review of the crypto industry, which this was clearly not. It reminds me of the early days of the Web before people realised how useful it would become, or strangers telling me online shopping will never take off because it is “full of scams”.
Hopefully, the FT will produce better quality podcasts in the future with more balanced reporting.