BBC lines up themed week of scripted and non-scripted content tracking rise of AI

AI Confidential with Hannah Fry looks at how the tech is being used

UK public service broadcaster the BBC will launch AI Unpacked Week in March, featuring seven days of scripted and unscripted content aimed at educating audiences about the controversial technology’s place in society.

Factual series AI Confidential with Hannah Fry (3×60’) sees the broadcaster and mathematician investigate extraordinary tales from the front lines of the AI revolution, from people falling in love with AI chatbots to life-or-death decisions made by robots. It airs on BBC Two and streams on iPlayer from February 23.

BBC One soap EastEnders, meanwhile, will feature a storyline that sees the character of Patrick Trueman become reliant on AI software as he struggles to cope with his grief in the wake of his son’s death.

Also in scripted, the third series of mystery thriller The Capture, produced by Universal International Studios’ Heyday Television, centres on conspiracies around AI-created deepfake footage. It can be streamed on iPlayer.

In BBC News programming on iPlayer, BBC Panorama: Will Robots Take my Job? sees reporter Richard Bilton investigates the rise of robots in the workplace, while Tech Now features Joe Tidy presenting special AI compilations on March 7 and 8.

The themed week of content arrives as the BBC unveils new research showing that one in three of those polled now use AI on a weekly basis, up from 2023’s figure of one in 10.

While younger audiences are the biggest users of AI, with 55% using it weekly, the biggest increase in use over the past year has been amongst those aged over 55 (250% increase) followed by those aged 45 to 54 (220% increase).

Kate Phillips, chief content officer at the BBC, said: “As we stand at the brink of a major technological revolution, the BBC will play a vital role in being a trusted destination for advice, insight and engagement for all audiences.”