Latest Interviews
Showing 1–11 of 11 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist9 min
AI has got better at hacking—how big a risk is it?
Anthropic withheld its latest model, Mythos, from public release after it demonstrated the ability to autonomously identify and exploit critical software vulnerabilities, such as a 27-year-old OpenBSD flaw, with minimal human intervention. This decision follows evidence that AI scaling laws now enable automated systems to accelerate the vulnerability exploitation cycle from years to mere hours, drastically outpacing current defensive capabilities. While Anthropic employed responsible disclosure by patching the specific bug before sharing details, the incident highlights a growing risk that open-source models will soon democratize high-level cyberattacks.
- The Economist8 min
Why does Elon Musk want to put data centres in space? | The Economist
Elon Musk, Tom Standage, Alex Hern
Elon Musk has merged XAI into SpaceX and filed an FCC application to deploy one million satellites, aiming to establish orbital data centers powered by sun-synchronous orbits to achieve terawatt-scale annual capacity. While Musk targets lunar manufacturing and mass drivers to lower launch costs, OpenAI's Sam Altman and industry analysts currently dismiss the concept as technically infeasible due to prohibitive expenses and unrepairable hardware failure rates. Despite this skepticism, competitors including StarCloud, Google, Jeff Bezos, and Eric Schmidt are advancing their own pilot projects or securing launch capacity to test the viability of space-based computing.
- The Economist21 min
Art of the real: Trump bows to markets
Trump, Rosie Bloor, Rachna Shambhog, Tom Standage, Andrew Miller
Following President Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause amid market-driven recession fears, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent utilized the delay to reward non-retaliation while maintaining a 125% rate on China, prompting global leaders to prepare direct concessions on defense and trade. Simultaneously, the commercial space sector advances toward orbital data centers as StarCloud plans a 2024 AI chip demonstrator and Axiom Space operates station racks, with viability hinging on the projected launch cost reductions of SpaceX's Starship. Marking the centennial of its 1924 publication, F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby* continues to define the American experience by contrasting the Jazz Age's glamour with a rigid class structure that grants the wealthy immunity from the consequences of their carelessness.
- The Economist28 min
Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies
Jimmy Carter, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, John Prudhoe, Tom Standage, Tim Cross
This episode analyzes the complex legacy of Jimmy Carter by contrasting his troubled presidency with his transformative post-White House humanitarian work, while forecasting a volatile 2025 shaped by Donald Trump's potential return and disruptive forces like solar storms and AI adoption. The discussion further dissects Elon Musk's ideologically driven leadership through recommendations of science fiction and biographies that reveal his fixation on existential threats and multi-planetary colonization. Collectively, these segments offer a multidimensional view of historical reflection, future geopolitical unpredictability, and the personal philosophies driving modern technological power.
- The Economist36 min
Tomes will tell: books that predict the future
Rosie Bloor, Oliver Morton, Shashank Joshi, Rory, Christian Novotny, Tom Standage
The Economist's *The Intelligence* program, hosted by Rosie Bloor, convenes editor Oliver Morton, Shashank Joshi, and Tom Standage to dissect science fiction and non-fiction that forecasts technological, geopolitical, and biological trajectories. The discussion evaluates Vernor Vinge's speculative near-future regarding augmented reality, analyzes Andrew Steele's theories on extending human lifespans through biological intervention, and reviews literature addressing the renewed immediacy of nuclear conflict in Ukraine and Asia. Complementing these themes with listener recommendations on climate resilience and algorithmic control, the panel concludes that while technological capabilities evolve, future outcomes remain dependent on political will and the enduring nature of human emotion.
- The Economist25 min
Bait the hook! Fishing in the global talent pool
Jason Palmer, Fedora Castellino, Robert Guest, John Priddo, Simon Rabinovich, Xavier Trocol, Tom Standage
A panel of economists and policy analysts critiques restrictive immigration frameworks in the U.S., Britain, and China while highlighting the success of rapid processing models in the UAE and Portugal to boost graduate populations. The discussion further examines structural shifts in the American service economy, where legally mandated low wages drive "tipflation" and prompt tax exemption proposals from both major presidential candidates. Concurrently, experts warn that divergent global regulations on facial recognition AI leave the U.S. vulnerable to law enforcement overuse and algorithmic bias, contrasting sharply with the EU's strict prohibitions on public surveillance.
- The Economist6 min
Generative AI: what is it good for?
Alok Jha, Tom Standage, Abhi Burtix, Arjun Romani
Following the 2017 Transformer architecture and the historic 2022 adoption of GPT-3.5, large language models now process unlabeled internet data to excel at tasks ranging from medical licensing exams to code generation. Despite these capabilities, the technology remains a "black box" with complex, opaque weights that lack the transparency required for high-stakes fact-finding or full automation. Consequently, while economists project that generative AI will impact half of the daily tasks for 20% of the U.S. workforce, current deployment is expected to evolve as a human-AI collaborative workflow rather than an immediate replacement of human roles.
- The Economist20 min
How to make poor areas richer
Shaq, Andy Preston, Michael Weikert, Ava Miller, Jonathan, Hayley, Tom Standage
Discussions on widening regional inequality highlight the risks of centralized governance while contrasting failed de-industrialization with successful economic pivots in cities like Pittsburgh and Middlesbrough. Case studies illustrate that targeted investments in dynamic hubs, such as Germany's post-reunification spending and Tulsa's remote work incentives, can reduce unemployment and spur growth, yet persistent wage gaps and migration challenges remain. Policymakers ultimately face a strategic dilemma between revitalizing every declining area or concentrating resources on specific centers to prevent national economic collapse and mitigate the moral costs of inaction.
- The Economist14 min
Why the counterfeit business is booming
With the global counterfeit sneaker market valued at over $100 billion, high-quality replicas from hubs like Putian have blurred lines with legitimate production, fueling a surge in online sales that now account for 56% of EU seizures. While platforms like eBay process millions of authenticated pairs and social media influencers drive demand through "one-to-one" quality claims, these illegal networks are increasingly tied to severe human rights abuses and organized crime. Experts warn that without addressing the root demand alongside supply-side enforcement, these counterfeit operations will continue to dilute brand value and evolve despite law enforcement tracking digital sales records.
- The Economist15 min
How the Mexican cartels are making profits now
Over 100,000 annual fatalities in the United States are now driven by a synthetic opioid crisis where Mexican cartels have shifted production to decentralized, low-tech mobile labs that operate with gig-economy efficiency. This transformation has replaced traditional organized crime conglomerates with approximately 200 semi-autonomous groups that source cheap precursor chemicals from China to manufacture potent fentanyl at minimal cost. The resulting market shift has seen synthetic drug seizures surpass cocaine and heroin in 2021, as these criminal networks diversify revenue through high-value, low-volume trafficking to middle-class consumers.
- The Economist8 min
How AI is transforming the creative industries
Experts at the event analyzed how AI acts as a collaborative tool that reshapes the creative arts landscape rather than simply displacing human artists. Key figures such as artist Mario Klingermann and Professor Marcus de Sautoy highlighted the emergence of new roles like data curators while addressing urgent legal challenges regarding intellectual property and voice mimicry. The consensus points toward a future where these technologies foster unprecedented forms of artistic expression, though the industry must navigate significant ethical and regulatory transitions to protect current creators.