BCS launch new AI podcast as alternative to the ‘tech-bros’ shows

Summary

• Dame Wendy Hall and Professor Sue Black discuss AI and society on BCS' podcast
• Dame Wendy Hall says AI will 'only become dangerous if we let it become dangerous'
• Professor Sue Black says 'So many technologies... have been shaped by a relatively narrow group of people. AI gives us an extraordinary opportunity to broaden that perspective'
• AI&Us is available to listen to and watch across Apple, Spotify, Deezer, Acast and Youtube

AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black, created and produced by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, sees the two friends cut through the hype about current AI topics.

They discuss everything from killer robots to concerns about the future of work.

You can listen to AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black via most popular podcasting platforms. These include: 

• Acast: Forget the Terminator: Here is what actually matters in AI | AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black
• Apple Podcasts: AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black
• Spotify: AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black
• Deezer: AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black

You can also watch AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black on YouTube: AI&Us: with Wendy Hall and Sue Black.

The podcast’s primary objective is to bring a different perspective to the AI debate, exploring the technology’s opportunities, risks and impact on society.

Each show is co-hosted by:

• Dame Wendy Hall — Regius Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton
• Sue Black OBE — Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University

The new podcast launches a week before Ada Lovelace Day (13 October), which celebrates the woman widely considered to be the first computer programmer.

Episode one: Forget the Terminator: here is what actually matters

In episode one of AI&Us, Wendy and Sue argue fears around the Terminator are less important than the people and ideas who will ensure AI develops in ways that benefit society.

Dame Wendy Hall said: ‘AI is going to profoundly impact all our lives in some incredibly brilliant ways — particularly in health and education, and in tackling the challenges of climate change and the environment.

‘It will only become dangerous if we let it become dangerous. That is my firm belief.

For you

Be part of something bigger, join BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

‘My former mentor Karen Sparck Jones famously said that computing is too important to be left to men. Today, I like to say that AI is too important to be left to men, even though I have some brilliant male colleagues working in all these areas.’

Professor Sue Black said: ‘So many of the technologies we use every day have been shaped by a relatively narrow group of people. AI gives us an extraordinary opportunity to broaden that perspective: to identify the problems that matter most to us and create products and solutions that address them.

‘We now have the chance to build technology that reflects a far wider range of experiences, perspectives and needs. Let’s ensure this exciting new wave of AI innovation works for everyone.’

About Professor Dame Wendy Hall

Dame Wendy Hall DBE FRS FREng, is Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement) and Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton.

Dame Wendy was co-chair of the UK Government’s AI Review, published in October 2017, and was a member of the AI Council. She is currently co-chair of the ACM Publications Board and advises the UK Government, other governments, and various companies around the world. In 2023 was appointed to the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. Her new book AI Explained: a Guide for non-Technical Readers, co-authored with Pete Rai, was published by Wiley in Sept 2026.

About Professor Sue Black

Professor Sue Black OBE is an award-winning and pioneering computer scientist, social entrepreneur and one of the UK’s most influential voices on technology and inclusion. Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University and a Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Sue founded BCSWomen, the UK’s first online network for women in computing in 2001, helping shape a more inclusive profession.

Sue led the campaign to save Bletchley Park, founded #techmums in 2012 and TechUP in 2018, opening routes into technology for women from underserved communities. Her own journey, from leaving school at 16 to becoming a professor, underpins her conviction that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.

As co-host of AI&Us with Dame Wendy Hall, Sue brings warmth, clarity and a human perspective to conversations about artificial intelligence. Drawing on her experience of breaking into technology and creating opportunities for others, she explores how AI can help people develop practical skills, tackle challenges and turn ideas into meaningful change.