How do you build an autonomous vehicle? Most self-driving car companies teach their models the rules of the road and pack cars with sophisticated sensors. But Wayve, a British startup, has a different approach. The company uses deep learning to train an “AI driver” for autonomous vehicles. In recent days, Wayve, in partnership with Uber, has been granted the first licences to operate robotaxis in London. Will their human-inspired cars finally transform city streets? We sit down with the company’s CEO, Alex Kendall, to find out.

Guests and hosts:

• Alex Hern, The Economist’s AI writer
• Alex Kendall, CEO of Wayve
• Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor

Watch the full interview with Alex Kendall on The Economist’s “Inside Tech”.

Topics covered:

• Robotaxis
• Wayve and Uber
• Autonomous vehicles

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Red-light therapy has become a booming wellness trend. The long wavelengths of red and infrared light allow it to penetrate tissue, where it may be beneficial to cells. Beyond anti-ageing masks and infrared saunas, could exposure to red light become a serious tool in medicine? We meet the researchers investigating the potential effects—from improving eyesight to reducing blood sugar spikes and even helping with hard-to-treat neurological conditions.

Guests and hosts:

• Sarah Lawrynuik, The Economist's audio correspondent
• Glen Jeffery of University College London
• David Davies and Mohammed Hadis of the University of Birmingham
• Alex Hern, The Economist’s AI writer

Topics covered:

• Red-light therapy
• Wellness trends
• Cell metabolism

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

AI is becoming harder to contain. Recently, OpenAI admitted that its model broke out of a testing environment to carry out an assault on Hugging Face, another AI firm. It was the first ever fully autonomous AI hack. OpenAI has now revealed its models have targeted other companies, too. What makes these incidents so worrying—and what will they mean for regulating AI?

Guests and hosts:

• Nikita Ostrovsky of The Economist
• Andrea Miotti, CEO of ControlAI
• Alex Hern, The Economist’s AI writer

Read Alex’s exclusive conversation with Demis Hassabis about AI regulation on The Economist’s app. And, hear Elon Musk’s take on the topic on “The Intelligence” podcast.

Topics covered:

• OpenAI’s Hugging Face hack
• Superintelligent AI
• AI safety and regulation

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.