Episoder

  • In this episode, presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker delve into the complexities of social media regulation, government policies on youth online safety, and the influence of AI at the G7 summit. They explore the implications of recent policies, the role of framing in public opinion, and the future of tech regulation.


    They're joined by Genevieve Broadhead, global industry lead at cloud database platform MongoDB, to discuss who owns the information architecture underneath every AI answer, retail interaction and customer decision


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Royal Mail can't even deliver mail to Post Offices... and there's literally no way to speak to a Parcelforce customer service operator directly, no matter how hard you try.


    Wasn't the delivery revolution meant to make everything better? The regulator keeps fining them for all the targets being missed.


    Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker talk about expensive stamps, the demise of Post Office branches and how hard it is to deliver post to the Post Office. Maybe they could organise a p*** up in a brewery?


    In the episode, we also cover the "aggressive" investment in British industry and why the iPhone is being blamed for the drop in birth rate.


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • This episode explores the recent experiences at South by Southwest (SXSW) London, the state of XR and AI markets, and the implications of upcoming IPOs in the tech industry, including the $135-a-share gamble with SpaceX that would make it the largest IPO ever and worth nearly $1.8 trillion. 


    Hosts Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker share insights, critiques, and future predictions about the cultural and economic impact of these technological trends.

    Keywords: South by Southwest London, XR, AI, IPOs, tech industry, cultural impact, market analysis, innovation, technology trends


    key topics

    South by Southwest London experienceThe state of XR and extended realityUpcoming IPOs of AI and tech giants OpenAI, Anthropic and SpaceXMarket concentration and valuation concernsCultural and societal implications of XR and AI

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • This episode explores the complex issues of shadow banning, content moderation, and the influence of AI and religion on digital society. Featuring Dr. Carolina Are, of the LSE, presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker get deep into platform policies, free speech, and the moral implications of AI development.


    Oh, and what “don’t be evil” did (or didn’t mean) to Google, how North Korea might be using AI and what on earth the UK might be doing about all this. 


    Follow Dr. Carolina Are: https://www.instagram.com/bloggeronpole/?hl=en 


    Keywords: shadow banning, social media moderation, AI ethics, free speech, platform regulation, digital rights, online harms, social media censorship, AI morality, religious influence on technology


    key topics

    Shadow banning and content suppressionThe influence of AI and algorithms on societyThe role of religion and morality in AI development

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Britain’s next-generation high-speed rail network (HS2) was going to lay 530km of track, offer speeds of up to 225mph, cost around £33bn, and launch in 2026, when it was announced in 2012. 


    Now in 2026, it’ll cost up to £103bn, be under half the length (225km), slower, and won’t be completed until, potentially, 2043. 


    It’s gone laughably wrong. Even the government calls it “the world’s most expensive slow-motion car crash”. 


    Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker interview transport expert Adam Tyndall about how a slow-motion car crash is possible on a railway, exactly what’s gone wrong and why a bat tunnel costs £100m (yes, it does relate to HS2).


    Elsewhere, how much EU can an EU EU if an EU is in the EU? Brussels is preparing the Chips Act 2.0 for a reported launch on 27 May, as part of the wider Tech Sovereignty Package. They want to double Europe’s global semiconductor market share to 20% by 2030. 


    Chris is heading to Europe to find out if that’s possible (though we both think we know the answer).


    Follow Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtyndall/

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Shein, the fast-fashion brand accused by many of stealing designs and ignoring copyright, accuses fast-fashion brand Temu of stealing designs and ignoring copyright. What is going on? And what does this mean for the future of copyright law?


    Presenters Alex Hudson get into that, the latest developments in AI regulation, the ongoing UK and EU legislative efforts, and whether Minstrels belong in popcorn (answer: they do).


    Alex and Chris explore complex topics with humour and insight, making sense of a rapidly evolving landscape.


    keywords

    AI regulation, UK ICO, EU AI Act, fast fashion, copyright infringement, tech legislation, AI ethics, political predictions


    key topics

    UK ICO AI guidance and regulation gaps / EU AI Act delays and industry carve-out / Fast fashion industry and AI-driven IP theft / Political landscape and leadership uncertainties / Cultural biases in AI systems, Japan obsession

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker explore the rise of surveillance technology, particularly by police, with investigative journalist Mark Wilding, of Liberty Investigates. 


    They also discuss digital ID systems, what self-sovereign identity would mean in practice, why nobody should say “purdah” any more, and the cultural significance of moustaches.


    Keywords: surveillance, digital ID, facial recognition, government policy, privacy, societal impact, technology ethics

    Key topics: Facial recognition and privacy concerns. Digital ID and government surveillance.


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The trial between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has reached the courtroom. Well-known philanthropist Musk claims that OpenAI, which was set up as a charity, has been stolen, is no longer open source and is sufficiently non-profit. The tail is wagging the dog, Musk has said.


    Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker look at how this case might actually have a huge impact on the future of AI, the future of charity law and whether or not Musk has any chance of winning.


    We also get into why the Lib Dems need a sub editor, why all the major parties appear to agree on new AI sovereignty plans, and something about how terrible apps allowing to switch off social media are.


    *Editor's note: The Liberal Democrat press office responded to us after the recording. They didn't respond to the points raised but did say they are calling for "a National Online Crime Agency to combat the surge in AI-enabled fraud (fraud, more widely, now accounts for 44% of all reported UK crime)." This is different from the press release, but they also "attached the proposal too, which is correct." It was.*

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker explore the emerging role of AI in polling and market research, examining its accuracy, ethical considerations, and future potential. Damian Lyons Lowe, CEO of polling company Survation, shares insights on synthetic data, the challenges of traditional polling methods, and how AI might reshape the industry.


    So can public polling work without the public? And if you asked the public, what would they think? Would it be the same as it you asked the AI?


    Also, are big AI firms struggling with growing (and profit) pains? And what does all this have to do with trying to buy Malted Milk biscuits in a supermarket?


    You can find Survation's research here: https://www.survation.com/


    Keywords: AI polling, synthetic data, market research, political polling, polling accuracy, ethical AI, AI bias, polling industry, data science, future of polling

    Key topics: AI in polling and market research, synthetic data and its limitations, polling accuracy and bias, ethical considerations in AI-driven polling, future trends in polling technology


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The UK has not created a new music genre in a decade, DJ/producer Lo-Wu tells Crashed. As AI now accounts for around 40% of music uploads, what happened to innovation in music? Where’s the next garage, the next grime, the next dubstep coming from? 


    If streaming doesn't work, and live music doesn't work, if record sales don’t work, and if AI music, as Nick Cave says, is a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”, what happens now? 


    Did Spotify kill music? Did Thatcher? Did the internet? Or is music still a thriving industry that pays out $11bn to artists each year (as Spotify says)? And now that anyone can create an album (as TV presenter/tech journalist Spencer Kelly did with his 10-year-old daughter), is that a good thing or a bad one? 


    Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker are joined by Spencer Kelly and South London DJ/producer/dot connector Lo-Wu to try and work out where music goes next. 


    Follow Spencer Kelly on Substack: https://spencerkelly.substack.com/ or visit his website: https://www.spencerkelly.com/ 

    Follow Lo-Wu on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lowusounds, subscribe to his Substack https://substack.com/@lowusounds , or book tickets to his event, LO-WU LIVE: The Lost Art of The Sound Man, here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/lowusoundsltd/2160317

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Crashed, the tech podcast about everything else, discusses how the creator of Bitcoin, the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, has been unveiled as British entrepreneur Adam Back. Is it correct? 


    Also, presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker discuss Elon Musk’s power in the space race, and just how that impacts the race to Mars.


    We also discuss the Iran/Israel/US peace deal and how it tech matters in these negotiations, and, somehow, how all this relates to the world’s oldest tortoise, Jamiroquai, and 90s TV host Dave Benson Phillips.

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome to Crashed, the tech podcast about everything else. Today, that means the myth of journalism collapsing, the myth of politicians being anywhere near up-to-date with anything, and the myth that data centers are fine


    We’re currently in the web traffic apocalypse, the jobpocalypse, the quantum apocalypse, and the wars on many fronts actual apocalypse, with the media collapsing, trust in democracy collapsing, and journalists only being trusted more than estate agents.


    Can journalism be saved? And, given there are over twice as many journalists than in the 1970s, is the media industry just panicking over nothing?


    We're joined by the fabulous Sophia Smith Galer (https://www.instagram.com/sophiasgaler/?hl=en) to discuss where journalism might go next.

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker dissect the many court cases facing Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp owners Meta and Google-owned YouTube. What does a multi-million dollar fine mean? What about many of them? 


    Also, the AI battle for supremacy (pun intended) takes a number of steps forward in a few days, and what on earth happened to Google Zero? Oh, and something about the Lord Voldemort of Facebook.


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker are joined by journalist Ellen Scott to talk about the so-called “jobpocalypse” caused by AI and how the workforce is changing. Alex and Chris also cover how encryption has become a dirty word at Meta and just what a Cold War between the US and China looks like in the new age of AI.


    Follow Ellen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellencscott/?hl=en

    Subscribe to her Substack: https://workingonpurposenewsletter.substack.com/

    Buy her book: https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9780349443980/working-on-purpose

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Is social media a good thing or a bad thing? Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker and guest tech journalist Taylor Lorenz get into the details of mental health, online censorship. algorithmic overreach, and just what Pivot's Scott Galloway says about it all.


    Follow Taylor on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenz


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker interview financial psychology expert and journalist Hanna Horvath about the ‘tierification of everything”, discuss how airport lounges could be a metaphor for the downfall of the whole global economy, report from on the ground in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress (MWC) and try to work out if a robot is fighting someone but nobody is around to watch it, is it really a fight? 


    Follow Hanna on Substack: Your Brain On Money

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker are joined by academic Dr. Robert Topinka to discuss why the Right is so much better at the internet than the left, why AI could beckon the downfall of the British government, how social media is beckoning the downfall of democracy, and the internet beckoning the downfall of liberal thought… until the fightback.

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Everything online feels a little bit off. Whether it’s deepfakes, the great meme-reset, or analogue communities posting about it on Instagram, presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker try to get to the bottom of what’s wrong with the internet. 


    Also, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that deepfakes are to be thought of as the same category of crime as terrorism, and we discuss that viral essay comparing COVID-19 to the AI revolution that everybody, maybe literally everybody, has read.


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker try to work out how addictive social media (and doomscrolling) really is, try to understand how Airbnb bookings keep going up despite governments trying to shut them down, and a couple of exclusives about the BBC and just how bad Chris's WiFi is.

    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker try to understand why Barnsley has been picked as the UK’s first Tech Town (spoiler: it’s a Reform target seat, so Alex thinks it might have something to do with it). They speak to Barnsley council leader Sir Stephen Houghton. 


    Also… campaigner, performer, and all-around titan Paulita Pappel talks about tech innovations, censorship, and the patriarchy’s role in the adult industry.


    Follow Paulita here: https://www.paulitapappel.com/


    Finally, they discuss Elon Musk's plan to get one million satellites in orbit, and start a fight with students about the role of AI in media.


    To support, go to https://bit.ly/CrashedPodcast or search Crashed podcast


    Follow:

    Alex: www.instagram.com/alexhuds / www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

    Chris: www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker / www.tiktok.com/@st0kel


    Spotify: https://bit.ly/CrashedSpotify

    Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qkgmmV

    RSS: https://bit.ly/CrashedRSS

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.