Reporting the Taliban, AI's "meat proxies" and The Grand Tour returns
About this episode
The episode discusses reporting in Afghanistan under the Taliban, the impact of AI on journalism, and the evolution of recipe media in Britain.
Five years after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet has returned to the country to report on life under the regime, including the secret schools educating girls despite restrictions on female education. Lyse joins us to explain how reporting trips to Afghanistan are organised, what it is like negotiating access with the Taliban and how journalists protect vulnerable sources. Artificial intelligence is changing the way information is created and shared, and a new phrase has emerged to describe one aspect of that shift: the "meat proxy". Coined by German software engineer Niklas Gruhn, the term refers to people acting as conduits for AI-generated content. Niklas explains why he believes the phenomenon matters and whether AI risks weakening human judgement. We also explore a debate sparked by the Wall Street Journal after it defended publishing an opinion article created with the assistance of AI. Will Oremus of The Atlantic and Diane Brady of Fortune discuss what the controversy means for transparency and the future of opinion journalism. Good Food has become one of Britain's most successful digital publishing brands…
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