Rethink

• Liberalism

  Across the West, the long-established liberal order appears to be struggling to adapt to the economic and social challenges of the 21st century. As a result, traditional politics is being rejected by voters at the ballot box, increasingly usurped by narratives once considered too radical for the mainstream.In Europe, right wing populists and the far-right are in the ascendancy in countries such as France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump has returned to the White House for a second term. The roots of political liberalism can be traced back to the 18th century, with much of the modern liberal world order emerging out of the end of World War II. But as similar patterns emerge across numerous democracies, could we be witnessing the end of liberalism?Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ben Cooper Editor: Clare FordhamContributors: Jon Cruddas, author and former Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Edmund Fawcett, political journalist and author Sarah de Lange, Professor of Political Pluralism at the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam Catherine de Vries, Professor of Political Science at Bocconi University Michael Gove, Editor of The Spectator and former Conservative MP for Surrey Heath

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• Rethink... the global economy

  You would be forgiven for thinking that inflation, interest rates, GDP and tariffs drive the global economy. But there are a whole set of interconnected underlying systems that work quietly in the background to keep economies running smoothly. It's not just countries that rely on them, but individuals as well. These systems allow workers to get paid, banks to make transfers, and the free-flow of information on the internet. These immaterial systems have a presence in the physical world, from fibre optic cables to the servers that host our data. Building and maintaining this infrastructure, and everything else that makes up modern civilisation requires a constant and reliable supply of raw materials. But in this globalised world, both the underlying systems online and the supply chains in the material world have pinch points - places where if just one thing gets squeezed, then there are immediate and dramatic effects on the economy. And whoever controls those pinch points wields a vast amount of power. In this episode of Rethink, Ben Ansell explores those pinch points, how the USA and China are realising their power, and what this means for the UK. Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare Fordham Contributors: Henry Farrell, SNF Agora Professor of International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and co-author of Underground Empire. Abe Newman, professor in the School of Foreign Service and Government Departments at Georgetown University, and co-author of Underground Empire. Ed Conway, economics and data editor of Sky News and author of Material World.

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  28:37
• Rethink...medical data

  Sir Keir Starmer says that the NHS is well placed for an AI revolution in health care. The Health Secretary Wes Streeting says it could lead to huge advances in health care, from patient passports, which enable doctors to easily access a patient's full medical history, to early intervention - being able to assess a child's risk of disease from birth. The NHS has a vast pool of information about our health, and unlocking its power is a noble aim: but can everything really be thrown straight into an AI, which will then pump out answers? Inputting it presents a mammoth task; NHS data is in many places, the bits of information are not always compatible, nor are they easily accessible. Also, medical records are hugely sensitive and private, so what safeguards need to be put in place before data researchers and medical tech companies can be given access? What will be the most likely, realistic and achievable benefits of using AI in our healthcare system, and - if the NHS gets this right - what are the potential rewards for patients? Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare FordhamContributors: Dr Jess Morley, postdoctoral research associate at the Yale Digital Ethics Centre Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and Director of HDR UK, the national institute for health data science Michael Shenouda, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Open Medical, and board member for the ABHI, The Association of British HealthTech Industries Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation

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• Rethink... crime prevention

  In 2024, more than two million crimes went unsolved in England and Wales, with police unable to identify a suspect. That figure has increased by 180,000 since 2022, despite there being 86,000 fewer crimes in the same period. So with detection rates down, and constant financial pressures on the police services across the UK, should crime prevention play a greater role in policing? Targeting preventable crimes and the people most likely to commit them, a process called "focused deterrence" is being trialled at five sites in England. Police services already have better intelligence resources available than in any time in history, and they are also working with care services and other agencies to flag up potential problems. How could crime prevention be taken further? Would a more academic approach to policing result in knowledge being spread more quickly, and how could police be better prepared for emerging crimes as society and technology change? Ultimately, could it lead to lower crime rates and financial savings, and is there any evidence to suggest it does either?Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ivana Davidovic Editor: Clare FordhamContributors: Katrin Hohl, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at City University Alexander Murray, Threat Leadership at the National Crime Agency and the Chair of the Society for Evidence Based Policing Alex Sutherland, Professor in Practice Criminology & Public Policy at Oxford University Dr Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation

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  28:13
• Rethink: is big tech stealing your life?

  Rethink examines emerging issues in politics, society, economics, technology and the UK's place in the world, and how we might approach them differently. We look at the latest thinking and research and discuss new ideas that might make the world a better place.In this episode, we consider the changing relationship between the public and big tech companies. Big technology companies have given us incredible social media and online services, that came with a price - our data. They used it to target advertising and to learn about our likes and dislikes, and the vast majority of us couldn't have cared less about giving up this information. But Artificial Intelligence products have changed the game, from chatbots that can hold human-like conversations, to Generative AI that can write prose or create a picture from a simple text prompt. And these unthinking machines require endless amounts of data to train them. Some companies have been quietly changing their terms and conditions to access our social media and messages for AI training. Privacy regulators in the UK have called a halt to this so far, but US consumers don't have that protection. Developers have also been scraping the internet, gathering both free and copyrighted material, and leading to legal actions in both the USA, the EU and the UK. Copyright holders are concerned about a lack of payment or licencing deals, and also that AI imitates their content, putting them out of work. The Government has now launched a consultation to try to balance up the needs of AI and the creative industries. But with some companies refusing to pay for content, creators have a new tool at their disposal - a program that makes stolen pictures poisonous to AI.Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare Fordham Contributors: Ben Zhao, Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago Jack Stilgoe, Professor in science and technology studies at University College London, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies Justine Roberts, CEO and founder of Mumsnet. Cerys Wyn Davies, Partner at Pinscent Masons solicitors, specialising in IP and Copyright. Neil Ross, Associate director of policy for Tech UK

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