China's AI progress
Tech Life
BBC
4.3 • 227 Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The launch of China's DeepSeek AI tool a year ago sent shockwaves through US markets and Silicon Valley. But now Chinese AI tech is being used by more and more US companies. Our North America Technology Correspondent, Lily Jamali, tells us about it.
Also this week: shoppers in Denmark are using mobile phone apps to boycott some goods from overseas. And we road-test an exoskeleton taking the physical effort out of long outdoor walks.
Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn
(Image: An image of a mobile phone displaying the DeepSeek name and logo on the screen. In the background are flags of China and the United States of America. Credit: Reuters.)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffel and Rommashranganathan. |
| 0:26.0 | However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked. |
| 0:30.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.7 | Hello and welcome to TechLife, the programme about technology and how it touches all our lives. |
| 0:41.9 | I'm Shona McCallum and this week we're looking at developments in artificial intelligence, |
| 0:47.2 | one year on from what many called a Sputnik moment for American AI companies. |
| 0:52.8 | The original Sputnik moment came in 1957 when the Soviet Union overtook the US in the space race. |
| 1:00.7 | Last year's moment was triggered by the launch of a new Chinese AI chatbot called DeepSeek. |
| 1:07.0 | It topped the downloads charts and caused US tech stocks to sink. |
| 1:11.7 | One year on, what's changed? That's in a moment. |
| 1:15.3 | In Denmark, if you want to boycott products from a particular country, what do you do? |
| 1:20.7 | Well, you can download apps for that. |
| 1:22.5 | I'll be speaking to a developer of one of them. |
| 1:25.2 | And taking the huff and puff out of a hike up a hill |
| 1:28.1 | we try out an exoskeleton for walkers |
| 1:31.3 | who don't want to break into a sweat. |
| 2:04.1 | Music Here's some proof that time flies in the world of technology. It's been a whole year since the Chinese artificial intelligence model called Deep Seek R1 shook up the tech world. |
| 2:08.2 | And when I say shook up, American news anchors reported it like this. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.