Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast

New evidence of Russian-linked disinformation around European elections

The British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said that he was given a clear answer after entering Downing Street that Russia did interfere in the UK's 2016 Brexit referendum. Now new evidence reveals how Russian-linked disinformation campaigns are using AI-generated videos, cloned news websites, fake social media accounts and existing networks to spread false narratives across Europe. Tom Garnett, CEO and co-founder of Refute, and Vlad Galu, co-founder and CTO, explain what they uncovered around elections in Estonia and Latvia, including a fabricated NATO story that was transformed into eight different videos and spread in 15 languages. With more European elections ahead, including in Poland, could the same accounts, techniques and infrastructure be deployed again?

AI gig work: Meet the hidden humans training artificial intelligence

Behind the AI revolution is a global workforce labelling images, rating AI answers, moderating content and doing the tasks machines still can't manage. Professor Mark Graham of the Oxford Internet Institute and founder of Fairwork explains what AI gig work actually is, where it happens, whether this human labour really helps train better AI, and how workers can tell whether an AI job is legitimate and fair.

The programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy
Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz  

Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.

Subscribe here for your extended ad-free PodExtra Show: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/

🎥 Learn more about what we do: 
➡️ Official Website: https://www.anialichtarowicz.com/
📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co 
➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co   

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AI Is Changing How Visas and Borders Work
AI is increasingly being used in consular services to check documents, detect patterns, flag potential fraud and help process huge numbers of visa applications. But when an algorithm influences what a human officer sees, where does human judgement end and machine influence begin? We speak to the authors of AI Use Cases for Consular Affairs Don Kilburg and Virginia Blaser about the opportunities and risks of using AI in decisions that can determine who gets to cross a border.

Can AI Make Social Care Research Better?
We also explore NarrativeVoice, a new project using AI to capture the experiences of care-experienced young adults and turn them into evidence for policymakers. Could technology help researchers analyse more voices, identify patterns and bring improvements to social care systems faster? Or could AI introduce new biases and lose the human context behind people's stories? Associate Professor Oras Al Hassani leads the project at Ravensbourne University in London and is on the show.

The programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy
Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz  

Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.

Subscribe here for your extended ad-free PodExtra Show: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/

🎥 Learn more about what we do: 
➡️ Official Website: https://www.anialichtarowicz.com/
📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co 
➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co   

📱 Follow us on socials:
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Medical Devices, Critical Materials and the Race to Build Circular Devices
Digital healthcare is producing a fast-growing mountain of electronic waste. Glucose monitors, wearable sensors and medical devices can contain lithium, copper, gold and rare earth elements, yet many are discarded or incinerated rather than repaired, reused or recycled. The DiCE project has spent four years investigating how to keep these devices, components and materials in circulation for longer, without compromising patient safety. 

Can Healthcare Cut Carbon Without Becoming Less Resilient?
Healthcare faces another huge challenge: reducing emissions while dealing with climate change, extreme weather, energy insecurity and fragile supply chains. We explore a new blueprint for future-proofing healthcare, and ask how technology, smarter systems and changes to infrastructure could make healthcare both lower-carbon and more resilient.

The programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy
Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz  

Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.

Subscribe here for your extended ad-free PodExtra Show: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/

🎥 Learn more about what we do: 
➡️ Official Website: https://www.anialichtarowicz.com/
📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co 
➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co   

📱 Follow us on socials:
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If you like our show please rate and review us.

Myanmar, Customer Data and Human RightsAfter Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, authorities demanded access to sensitive customer information held by a major Norwegian telecommunications company. Data linked to customers suspected of opposing the military was handed over, according to allegations in a new civil case. Now, more than 1,200 customers are part of a legal action in Norway seeking damages over the sharing of their data. A Norwegian court has ruled that the case can proceed as an opt-out class action. We examine what happened, what the lawsuit alleges, and the wider question of whether technology companies have a responsibility to protect customer data when operating under authoritarian regimes.Could Yeast Build Houses on Mars?Then we leave Earth for Mars, where future astronauts will face an extraordinary problem: how do you build a home when resources are scarce, temperatures are extreme and the atmosphere is just a fraction of Earth's? We explore how yeast could potentially be used to create building materials for future Martian habitats and whether biology could provide a way for humans to manufacture what they need to survive on another planet.The Programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.Production Manager: Liz TuohyEditor: Ania Lichtarowicz Subscribe and listen to the ad-free PodExtra version here: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/Fancy buying us a coffee? You can do that here: https://buymeacoffee.com/somewhereonearthSomewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.🎥 Learn more about what we do: ➡️ Website: http://www.anialichtarowicz.com📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co ➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co 📱 Follow us on socials:➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) ➡️ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/httpssomewhereonearth.co)➡️LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast) If you like our show please rate and review us.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy
Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz  

Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.

Subscribe here for your extended ad-free PodExtra Show: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/

🎥 Learn more about what we do: 
➡️ Official Website: https://www.anialichtarowicz.com/
📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co 
➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co   

📱 Follow us on socials:
➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) 
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If you like our show please rate and review us.

The future of AI, self-improving systems, cybersecurity, AI for Good and the fight for global AI regulationHow powerful can artificial intelligence become — and can governments, industry and international organisations keep pace? We examine the rapid development of generative, autonomous and agentic AI, the cybersecurity risks that come with increasingly powerful systems, how AI can be used for good around the world, and whether global standards and regulation can provide meaningful guardrails without stopping innovation.The programme is presented by Ania Lichtarowicz with David Girvin, Bilel Jamoussi and Louise Humpington.Production Manager: Liz TuohyEditor: Ania Lichtarowicz Subscribe and listen to the ad-free PodExtra version here: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/Fancy buying us a coffee? You can do that here: https://buymeacoffee.com/somewhereonearthSomewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.🎥 Learn more about what we do: ➡️ Website: http://www.anialichtarowicz.com📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co ➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co 📱 Follow us on socials:➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) ➡️ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/httpssomewhereonearth.co)➡️LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast) If you like our show please rate and review us.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy
Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz  

Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.

Subscribe here for your extended ad-free PodExtra Show: https://somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast-the-podextra-edition.pod.fan/

🎥 Learn more about what we do: 
➡️ Official Website: https://www.anialichtarowicz.com/
📩 Contact us or book a project: hello@somewhereonearth.co 
➡️ Email: hello@somewhereonearth.co   

📱 Follow us on socials:
➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) 
➡️ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/httpssomewhereonearth.co)
➡️ LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast)    

If you like our show please rate and review us.