Artificial intelligence has moved from a niche technical field to a force shaping how we work, communicate and even participate in democracy. As governments and organisations increasingly rely on automated systems in the name of efficiency and convenience, questions about trust, transparency and public understanding have become impossible to ignore. What does it mean for everyday life when decisions that affect us are mediated by technologies most people (including the people who created them) don’t fully understand?

In this episode, I speak to Dr Susan Oman, Senior Lecturer in Data, AI and Society at the University of Sheffield. Susan’s research explores how data and evidence operate in practice, and what this means for policy areas such as well‑being, loneliness, inequality and class. Together we unpack the public’s uneasy relationship with AI, and the democratic implications of experiments like the AI avatar launched by Mark Sewards MP. From dystopian parallels to the realities of digital public engagement, Susan offers a grounded and nuanced perspective on what happens when technology starts to stand in for human judgement and understanding.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

Technology has transformed almost every aspect of modern romance, but for many disabled people, the digital world can be both a gateway to connection and a barrier to it. Dating apps promise opportunity, yet often overlook the needs of those who rely on them most. At the same time, our online lives have reshaped how we think about infidelity, financial imbalance, and even the boundaries of flirting.

To explore these questions, I speak to writer and broadcaster Rob Crossan, who has spent over two decades covering travel, culture and disability affairs. Drawing on his personal experiences as a visually impaired man navigating the dating world, Rob offers a candid and funny account of how technology can help, and hinder, the search for intimacy. They discuss everything from accessibility failures in app design, to the emotional politics of digital temptation, to why going analogue sometimes feels like the only option when looking for love.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

Gossip, since our pre-tribal dawn, has been a useful way of regulating social standings and ensuring community cohesion. In the online social media and dating app sphere, however, all this has changed, with men and women responding to this new age differently. Some women are finding online spaces becoming increasingly misogynistic and threatening, with some men finding themselves excluded and frustrated.

Today’s guest, Dr Jenny van Hooff, is a sociologist at Manchester University specialising in personal life and contemporary intimacies. Dr van Hooff’s research explores the dynamics of couple relationships, love, commitment, infidelity, and break-ups across different stages of life, including examining the significance of friendships and the experiences of dating app users.

She co-directs the Contemporary Intimacies, Sexualities, and Genders Research Group, an interdisciplinary network that investigates the evolving landscape of personal relationships and intimacies. The Research Group challenges how we think about intimate relationships, gender relations, eroticism and sexuality to advance social justice. Jenny’s current projects focus on midlife intimacy, relationship breakdown, and digital dating practices. Dr van Hooff wrote a 2013 book entitled: Modern Couples?: Continuity and Change in Heterosexual.

In the episode we reference the books The Value of Others and Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism. Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

‘There is undoubtedly a huge amount of hype that surrounds this latest development in AI. The remarkable ambition of Sam Altman and others to create artificial general intelligence may or may not come to pass. Depending on who you listen to, it is either going to destroy the world, take your job or be your best friend (or even lover).’

That was a quote from the book ‘AI Demystified’. Today’s guest, Dr Antonio Weiss, helpfully wrote that book and is here to talk about it. Antonio is an award-winning technology expert and best-selling author. He has advised the Office for Artificial Intelligence, the UK Space Agency and NHS AI Lab, the Government Digital Service, and other pioneering organisations on AI adoption and digital transformation. He was previously Senior Advisor on Digital, Data & Technology to the Office of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Antonio is the author of four other books: Key Business Solution (2023), The Practical Guide to Digital Transformation (2022), Management Consultancy and the British State (2019), 101 Business Ideas That Will Change The Way You Work (2013). He is also an Affiliated Researcher at the University of Cambridge's Digital State programme and the co-founder of Thomas Clipper, which has featured in GQ, The Guardian and The Telegraph. He holds a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

What effect are devices and platforms having on children and young people? The American social scientist, Jonathan Haidt, published his seminal 2024 study on the cohort effect of the use of technology, particularly on girls.

I am hoping today’s guest, Nina Moyano, will be able to shed some light on this from her experience of working with children and parents. She is an ICF and EMCC-Accredited Coach - founding Life Coach London. Nina’s work focuses on digital wellbeing, confidence and mindset. In particular, she supports individuals and organisations in navigating the challenges of digital overload and screen addiction to create healthier, more intentional relationships with technology - such as managing screen time, improving focus and attention, or creating a culture that values disconnection and balance. You can see more of Nina's work on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

The traditional romantic story has a couple in puberty, not their pension. However, finding love later in life has become more and more prevalent due to increased divorce rates and longer life expectancies. Using tech platforms and dating apps can feel daunting, however. Can a leopard change its spots, and have fun being single at 60?

That's what I will be asking Fiona Lambert, an author and entrepreneur. After a successful career in fashion, including working in senior positions at brands at Asda, M&S, River Island and Next, she took to the pen and the punchbag to get fit. Her 2024 book, ‘Invincible not Invisible - Change Your Body and Mindset in 90 days’, I hope, she has left the boxing gloves at home, as we are here to discuss her new book: ‘SAS: Sexy and Single - Your Survival Guide to Dating’.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

Ever since the Hal 3000 supercomputer in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ went rogue, the public has worried about the practical and ethical implications of a new race of intelligent machines. Can a computer, that doesn’t know what a person really is, really be trusted to make ethical decisions in high-moral-implication sectors, such as healthcare and crime & justice? Machine learning may be able to accurately predict what I might be interested in watching next on Netflix, but can we trust AI to pick who I might want to be friends with, or even love?

That’s what I want to discuss with our guest, Joe Parker. We talk about the effect that technology is having on young people on this podcast so much that I thought that I’d better finally speak to one. Joe is a student and a Zoomer (Gen Z). His undergraduate degree was in Philosophy and Politics at the University of Southampton, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s in ‘Legal and Political Theory’ at UCL, where his dissertation focuses on AI ethics and its impact on individual behaviour and our ability to act.

Produced by the Bloomsbury Institute London.

While we once enjoyed community and literature in person, perhaps through a book club, now, with online platforms, people are finding more like-minded individuals online, as shown by the popularity of 'BookTok' on TikTok. However, can you form a real bond with someone on a shared passion online?

To help us explore this, I went on the road to speak to Richard Kilgariff. Richard is a former television journalist, producer and television executive. He then moved into the world of books, running a series of initiatives (Books For Breakfast, bookomi., Author Insights) that discuss wide-ranging topics in a collaborative conversation with the author and the audience.

We discuss the beginnings of digital television (long before YouTube), social media regulation, the attention economy and the magic of in-person events for connecting and sharing insights. Books and programmes we referenced during the conversation include: The Social Dilemma, Smartphone Nation, Tiny Experiments, Love Factually, and Why Information Grows.

Produced by me!