Raspberry Pi Founder: People Overestimate What AI Can Do

Raspberry Pi Founder: People Overestimate What AI Can Do

From Big Boss Interview by BBC News

May 14, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Eben Upton discusses the realities of AI, the importance of engineering, and the journey of Raspberry Pi.

(Episode 38) Eben Upton, founder and chief executive of Raspberry Pi, joins the Big Boss Interview to discuss artificial intelligence, British manufacturing, semiconductors and why he believes there is a growing tendency to overestimate what AI tools can currently do. AI tools are “genuinely incredible”, Upton says, and he uses them regularly himself. But he warns against assuming they remove the need for human judgment, engineering skill or technical understanding. His concern is that the current enthusiasm around AI risks creating the impression that deep technical understanding is becoming less important, when in reality the opposite may be true. Raspberry Pi itself was originally created to reverse collapsing computer science applications at Cambridge University by giving children affordable programmable computers that could encourage them to “accidentally slide into engineering”. Upton’s message to young people is simple: “do more maths”. Despite advances in AI, he argues the world will need more engineers, not fewer, and describes engineering as “the most incredible job” where “they pay you money to mess about”. He also reflects on the persistence required to build…

People in this episode

Host: BBC News

Guest: Eben Upton

Topics covered

  • artificial intelligence
  • British manufacturing
  • semiconductors
  • engineering
  • education

Keywords

  • AI
  • engineering
  • Raspberry Pi
  • British manufacturing
  • semiconductors
  • education
  • mathematics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Raspberry Pi, Cambridge University

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