Will human contact become a luxury good?

Available for over a year

As technology advances, we’re going to become more reliant on artificial intelligence. Robots are being programmed and piloted in primary schools and care-homes to teach basic maths and to help tackle loneliness. Robots are even available to provide romantic intimacy and sex. It seems inevitable that robots will play a significant role in our emotional lives, but who might benefit from them? Meanwhile amongst the Silicon Valley elite, there’s a growing movement that is turning away from technology. Some experts say that, as the rest of society becomes reliant on robots and AI, only the rich will be able to afford the luxury of human contact to educate, work and care for them. We talk to academic and author Dr. Kate Devlin about how intimate our relationships with robotics can be, while the BBC’s tech correspondent, Dave Lee explores how a robotic transformation of the workforce isn’t great news for everyone. Producers: Seren Jones Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: Philly Beaumont