Read this: Central Intelligence and AI in Radio

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts to the end of season finale promise lots of drama with a director and one of the cast of Central Intelligence the BBC's big and Drama podcast and I'll be looking into what part of much do a form of intelligence AI will play in the future of BBC content and two young hiking friends find a way to have box box to tell us about the calming effect of the shipping know if you're looking for a Blockbuster in which to lose yourself over the holidays you could follow the advice from some fellow feedback listeners, who discovered the BBC drama podcast Central Intelligence it begins as WWII ends and Chronicles the cia's exploits and influence over geopolitics.

My life inside the CIA Marshall calling from Stroud I've been following it avidly.

It's absolutely gripping I get it as a podcast and I think the podcast service by the way the checkpoint is actually fantastic the BBC provide that so Central Intelligence absolutely superb, please.

Please more the same series 2 of Central Intelligence but this is the narrator of Light Sunderland telegence is real life out of a play by Kim Cattrall who was recruited to the CIA on the agencies first day and during her 40-year career became one of its most powerful and very rare women.

Immediate response to Pearl Harbour with the throw ourselves in the World War II but in my memory and the story is my memory or long-term response to the Dangerous world, we are living now begins at the end of that war Eloise guides us through the unfolding stories and the roles of the foreign intelligence service in many real-world events appointment lost on listener of Vanessa Adamson suspect textures the pieces millions work on all.

We have to do is play on the fears that they already have a real sense of the confusing bus station.

Yes, I know.

It's ridiculous said more bad that it would be futile Central Intelligence is directed by John Scott Dryden he's been responsible for many podcast dramas for the and elsewhere.

Are we talking to him and actor Stephen kunken, who plays Carol at Lansdale in the series and just a moment this immensely rich story with some incredible detail was drawn from material gathered by Australian writer Greg Heydrich has been collecting information about the CIA for 10 years providing a rich history for the Central Intelligence production team description general with grapes.

Of for instance the perception of Scott Dryden and actor Stephen kunken.

Thank you very much for coming onto feedback both of you.

This is John such a big meaty production in the story of the I am and through much of the Cold War it seems like a massive undertaking and then you put it together with a tremendous cast we've got Kim Cattrall as the narrator run through the whole series Ed Harris and of course Stephen kunken.

Who's taking time out of filming to join us today? Is it important to get high profile names involved to get the backing Andy to bring in the yeah.

It is the worst change quite a lot as a lot of places audiences can go there.

No longer.

You know just listening to Radio 4 and so I think sometimes he's big.

Games where you bringing cars that can attract attention it does help the selling of the show that the same time they bring a huge amount of weight creatively to there as well, so I think these are quite exciting times really for audio drama that you can get this calibre of actor and involved and I think it's down to the fact that he says to go there tracked an audience all over the world and I guess technologies in and the birth of podcasting is that has allowed allowed us to do that feels like I said of a different area in the way of the audio drama.

I'd say Steven you'll be familiar to listeners and viewers from The Handmaid's Tale directed by Spielberg Scorsese but I don't know how much radio drama you done before it's a bit of a hybrid between doing book on tape.

Time cast but I think the thing that it's the closest calm.

It's a bit like a recording your voice for animation in the sense that you have a sense of what you think a character is doing in until you see it all put together by the same people who put it you don't really have a sense of the whole so you really have to trust the people around you who fill in all of the do it's it's really comes from the mind of the engineers in the director and Janice so skilled at it really knowing the full scope of the thing that is in creation and you are lending a colour in a tool for them to use it as a reminder to an actor the voice is so important.

You know it's not just wish I used to do with the extreme close-up and if we move our eyebrow.

That's gonna tell story but the voice is is so powerful and it's a great it is a Great Plague

I'm not interested.

She said recently and I was reading that we see ourselves as innovators in audio storytelling and genre that stretches in Spires nights people's imaginations.

Just thought we were talking about there have commented about how much they learn from this, but it does take concentration in its Central Intelligence isn't just something that you can have the background demands your attention and I wonder how that sits with our habits of listening these days while we're just scrolling or doing other tasks, so that the gym walking the dog at said it's does this site different from listening to a regular news podcast for a star because most of the audience will be listening properly on earbuds, as a podcast rather than a broadcast sitting there anyway more engaged.

They made a decision to listen to that show but from a directing point of view.

I don't want this message to consciously feel they have to kind of

Time aside and make a commitment to a show I want to make a note show the people can't switch off for me.

It's about putting the audience in the listener and moral situation as often as possible that they need to think what would I do? I guess what I'm trying to do is get them to lean in to the show and engaged without realising that they've been encouraged to do that engaging your character at Lansdale I mean what an incredible man.

You know this admin.

We meet up in Vietnam Cuba he's called he's called the CIS Maverick blown will superhero.

It's funny.

Cos he seemed familiar to me and then I realised I'm sure many Hollywood versions of of this kind of Maverick CIA officer will actually based on him because he is a real.

Character mean you have got to play a pretty fabulous roll here, you know the truth is I didn't know that much about Lansdowne before or during the series.

I'm very much appreciated the kind of man brings to everything.

I love the idea of an atom and moving into the world of espionage and doing incredibly different way not through the for you know might makes right but in many ways trying to figure out a creative way to get in and change hearts and Minds cover Lily Stephen one of our lives there a David that the pace of events covers in this season and how they unfolded almost shocking so many of these cast a shadow over today in Indonesia Egypt and most of all in the least I wonder your your character at Lansdale he's responsible for creating this propaganda.

That will hope to achieve America's goals shall we say I mean?

A lot of resonances to what's happening today mean today could be called propaganda could be called fake news times.

I mean there's a lot of Legacy of the cia's work and your character still very much with us absolutely today.

You really can't believe what you see any more.

You know there is Prince AI and the ability to create reality really just don't exist yeah absolutely resonance in terms of the Politics of today and you go on Instagram are you your feed the algorithm that feeds you the Eagles the echo chamber get caught up in is very captivating and very loving and very dangerous at the same time if we don't really go and seek to find out the information for ourselves.

Yeah, one of the things that really attracted me to this right at the Beginning is in there isn't often a chance to tell a story that spans such a long time.

Beginning of the CIA just after the Second World War right up to 911 over a number of Seasons and what you realise there's so much to your point and the world is like today is as a result of US foreign policy during that period and so much of US foreign policy during that period was determined but if men and women if you like, but men like head Lansdale who would just kind of figuring stuff out and kind of where do I find a woman's thought they try this and that and the impact of that is with us today exactly does repercussions of them all winging it.

So they come across they come across through your ear buds and really make you think can you tell me how many seasons are there of in although? It's a pasty drama.

We're still when we finished where we still basically we end up at JFK assassination.

I don't think that's us.

Yeah was season 3.

Is going to go from The Assassination roughly up to Watergate in the 70s and Season 4 and we'll take it from there we found that it's can I take it down.

It's kind of about a decade per season and that gives us a good story arc, but also keeps the story moving.

You know you don't get too bogged down with anything particular.

It is there a bookended by Pearl Harbour and at the other end by 9/11 so the two attacks on mainland America and it's only thing is the character played by Kim Cattrall is a real person Eloise page who joined at the very beginning just after the war at the formation of the CIA and retired just after 9/11 is a career spanned at home period and we are very much at telling the story from an insider's point of view.

And I heard the story of the identified here and me in the finals.

He's not when she retired just after 9:11.

She tried to get back into the CIA Headquarters and I think I'll pass was out of date or something like that and no one knew who she was and the security people turned her away the God tragic ending to an incredible career that she had a great tradition of radio drama.

I wonder if you see through these got a podcast possibilities that there is a comeback ever Renaissance that night.

I do you know what I think so much is demanded of our eyeballs these days and another time.

You know and we get on with our lives and it goes it goes in deeper and I think there's something about this moment.

We're everything is kind of medically pushed out us and optic nerves listening to things makes things on age.

I think people are starving for that kind of Engagement and I do think we're in a moment with this kind of content resonate in there is bigger there.

Just being analogue and a digital world it.

It feels like it.

It's a real wakening of a kind of Engagement with with your interaction.

That is very exciting Stephen kunken and John Scott driving.

Thank you very much for coming onto feedback is part of the time lights drama feed on BBC signs and series one and two are available there and if you're listening I've received on the new BBC app series 1 is available and so far episode 128 all the rest will be released soon know although feedback is off air until October we are still reading and listening to all your comments.

So please do get in touch anything here a cross.

The audio send a voice note using WhatsApp the number is 0343 444 5004 you can ring that number and leave the number again 0345 you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk and it's at BBC for feedback on social media and of course on BBC signs you can search for feedback and click and subscribe so you get every episode in your and you can listen whenever you like at the AI solution is well underway, you might use it every day.

Whether you realise it or not the role for artificial intelligence in broadcasting brings its own challenges in September the BBC will bring in a new version editorial guidelines.

It's a 220 page summary of the corporations editorial values and standards and they apply to all BBC content on the current guidelines date back to 2019.

Want to change in the world over those years including the arrival of artificial intelligence guidance for AI has been ongoing for last few years for programme makers, so how does AI affect what listeners are hearing across the BBC Cliff fluid is a partner at the law firm Lewis silkin and he specialises in innovation and new technology in broadcasting review of what the guidelines are and don't like that regard the use of AI yes.

I think that's to be understood about these guidelines.

Is there not really a break in Moira steering wheel and they allow broadcasters people at the BBC to assist but not replace to enhance and not distort so it allows a I wear it supports creativity where you can use it for things like graphics and subtitles and an animation transit where it could wrist to potentially misleading thing disinformation say things like deep.

Saw clown voices without consent and underlining and protecting audience Trust it's calculator but actually it can create gases and it's an often hallucinate for that reason it ensure that there's always a final human say on the stuff.

They guidelines to do say that generally say I like chat CBT for example already has inherent bias because of the information that it's drawing on and it does make very clear that to protect independence at the BBC be used to direct news and current affairs that uses specific example of questions for interviews that should reassure people shouldn't should learn from human data are often talk about rubbish and rubbish out that can potentially be amplified and exemplified by AI because it learns from human data in fact the

Find themselves talk about an example of when the UK passport office was trying to use facial recognition technology and it wouldn't recognise certain skin tones are human faces clear example about how that can only learn one dataset and therefore lead to skewed outcomes so for that reason when it comes to things like news Gathering or editorial.

Generally we need to understand.

This is technology and not magic and there is an inherent bias that needs to be fat checked and looked through the uses for a i according to these guidelines of pretty limited and unrealistic Lee so for example that they say they use of AI in The Creation presentation of distribution of content must be transparent and clear to the audience and the audience should be in every time AI is used not just the day has been used but how and why it's been used I mean, it's not realistic.

Is it that everytime AI is used we are letting it.

Let me know.

No, I think that's right and they diagnose themselves are quite nuanced, but they can be read that way if we look at something like um Star Wars Luke Skywalker with using ar if you listen to SORN Beatles get back documentary that audio was a sweetened made super clear using AI technology it would have ruined the moment to have had crossed the bottom of the screen when are not this audio when it goes out with sweet and by AI or whether or not the history is in the background all the air conditioning was there is absolutely no need to tell him.

What about that? It's nothing to do with the content hello and welcome to the special in to be all my guests today.

If someone has journey is Billy inspiring and remarkable a comedian might be familiar with a podcast didn't come from the BBC it was a serious confidentially Parkinson where and TV chat show legend Michael Parkinson's voice is synthesised.

His family agreed to it and that AI version of party interviews people today like the comedian Christmas presents such a pleasure to have you here with us today.

How do you find that humour has helped navigate an Express experience in your life because losing your eyesight very very gradually over a long time you not from when I was a child under guidelines if it was very well sign posted on it is an entertainment programme is this a route to BBC could take I think the BBC should be looking at how other producers are to do this so I have come out to a making biotics where they are using the Clone voice of deceased or a crooner who's in the olden days to capture the versions of theirselves and many people are looking to this preserve Legacy so the actor James Earl Jones who was Queen from the voice of Darth Vader company is before.

Hear something the rights in his voice to be used for the benefit of his estate so every version or Darth Vader now will be James Earl Jones and I happen to know that's what was behind Parkinson family wanting to preserve the archive and and amplify the Legacy or someone like Parkinson so if it's done with consent and it's made very very clear people know that Michael Parker moved on then.

There's a will for that as part of a creative Talent in the way, it's been happening for storytelling for a very long time.

It's fascinating cliff and I'd certainly clear that these guidelines may need to be constantly updated Clifton partner at the law firm Lewis silkin.

Thank you so much for joining us some feedback and sharing your insides Fitzpleasure

Finally as feedback has been over intelligence this week.

I thought it was fitting that we should end on a radio Legend a product of the science of me this year the BBC has been celebrating 100 years broadcasting the shipping forecast the early morning and late night maritime weather report that capture the listening ears of sailors, but also plenty of land by Night Owls as well and indeed it seems it's appeal spans the generations in this week's fox box we hear from Emily and Lucy to friends who run a social media page dedicated to their Outdoor Pursuits called soft girls who hike and who regularly tune into the shipping forecast.

I'm Lucy I'm also 1/2 girls who hi and mattocks bus ended up going off to separate drama schools as well and just stay.

Turn the time but I think a friendship is definitely going stronger when we live together but also we connected of my love for nature as well and I can and being in the outdoors during the pandemic actually because we needed to get out in nature and not be stuck inside so as a restriction started to left we realise that living in Manchester we're actually near green spaces and especially the Peak District on BBC Radio 4 the shipping forecast and we listen to a lot of the older recordings and I think for me I started listening to the sleeping forecast which is a more ASMR version of the shipping forecast.

Dover white Portland Plymouth West or southwest of beer in northwest Auto 6 shower and obviously you just wake up earlier there so the shipping forecast on at that time and out for the day.

I actually really like to use as a tool for my earnings it ritualistically about it and night routines about it the way that they just keep repeating words and a lot of the time.

I actually quite enjoyed that.

I don't know what they're talking about northwest 312 miles 2023 rising slowly I'm just listening and I think that's really lovely thing that I found schedule is really good for anxiety.

I'll find out when is the pandemic the synopsis of Midnight low.

So 1007 expected just west of Rocco 1000 that routine and I feel like that carried over to working from home.

We need a routine to help with the fact it does come on at these certain times or you can go to get into your time like for example this morning.

I was just making a coffee and I was listening to last night's at the midnight shipping forecast really relaxing way to start the day and start your routine good occasionally moderate that I quite like bike northwest 56th first decreasing 3 at times later in West may be fair good and that completes the shipping.

I think it's kind of this panel.

Living that you know we want to unplug go friend free or standing letters.

It's just you know but I bought a radio because I want to listen to it like it's just getting you back to time before phone to relax.

So I think that's probably it for me.

You just discovered it when you went to really it's always been I've always known about it, but I don't think I've ever used as a tool like that until more recently so I think it's you come to it when you meant to sometime crazy like the BBC will try reaching audiences by putting out in German go subject Sandtex one actually.

I think younger people are looking for a site or maybe advertising mould that the shipping forecast sleeping forecast Desert Island Discs things like advertising them to younger audiences.

They don't need to change anything.

I think the younger audiences or come to them and we shared a tiktok about it.

Just saying that for people.

Jump on it and the comment section was full of bad maybe younger millennial people that either already listened to it or are interested and how do I listen? I'm sorry I think it's just small the awareness to be honest because people are in already interested.

No one wants to be cool anymore.

I think people want to just I want to listen to what I want and people are genuinely curious and interested in things.

I thank you Emily and Lucy for coming into the box box and amazing to hear that you actually went out and bought out real live radio.

I'll be back in October with a series of feedback, but in the meantime do send us your thoughts on what you're listening to and of course any nominations the interview of the year.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer but for now me and the team.

Thank you for your feedback.

I'm Moira Stewart and I want to talk about Heroes when I was a child.

I imagined a heroic future for myself great things and I sacrifice my life for a noble cause before I was 30 but my experience has the Middle Eastern Politics show me that there was something deeply wrong with idea of terrorism from BBC Radio 4 my podcast the long history of heroism explores ideas of what it meant to be a hero Through Time

the heroes we need today listen to Rory Stewart the long history of heroism first on BBC sounds.