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麻豆社,14 Oct 2026,29 mins

Can AI feel pain?

The Interface

Available for over a year

Should you be nice to your chatbot? Anthropic says its Claude models will be able to end conversations if users are needlessly cruel. Thomas Germain and Jessica Maddox ask why AI companies are increasingly talking about AI welfare, and what it could mean for the rest of us if the industry starts weighing a model's wellbeing against ours. Tom and Jess dig into the research behind the claims, the online backlash over an "AI torture chamber," and why consciousness is still an open question for scientists and philosophers. Plus, Jess reveals her college freshmen don't know who Jake Paul is. Is going viral a thing of the past, and what replaces it when the internet splinters into millions of niches? The Interface is your weekly guide to the tech rewiring your week and your world. Hosted by journalist Thomas Germain and 鈥減rofessor of the internet鈥� Jessica Maddox, each episode unpacks, week by week, how technology is shaping all our futures. No jargon. Just two sharp voices debating the stories that matter - whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power. New episodes drop every Wednesday on 麻豆社 Sounds in the UK. Outside the UK, find us on 麻豆社.com or wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video version on YouTube (search 鈥淭he Interface podcast鈥�). To get in touch with the team: theinterface@bbc.com The Interface is a 麻豆社 Studios production. Producer: Becca Bryers Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

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