logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
24m 2s

AIOU: what if the AI boom busts?

The Economist
About this episode

Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask what might threaten the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forced labour (10:49). And why a nicotine pouch has so many fans on America’s right (18:03).


Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Off to the races: our American-midterms preview
Ahead of tomorrow’s legislative elections we consider the chances of a “blue wave”, the most influential demographics this time around and whether to expect election-administration trouble. Young people are deciding that bricks-and-mortar investment is not as dependable as the st ... Show More
24m 22s
Oct 30
Silver-year strongman: 25 years of Narendra Modi
We examine the record of the man at the helm of India’s government. As protests pose a fresh threat, where will he take the country next? From New Hampshire to Virginia, our American-midterms series takes you to the races you might be missing. And the life of Winston Churchill’s ... Show More
27m 50s
Oct 29
Effective non-altruism: Elon Musk’s foundation
The world’s richest person does not say much nice about philanthropy, and his foundation does not say much about itself. Our correspondent digs deeper. The next stop for our midterm-elections series is Kansas, where a Republican-seeming Democrat has an unlikely shot at the Senate ... Show More
23m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
AIOU: what if the AI boom busts?
Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask what might threaten the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forc ... Show More
24m 2s
Jan 2025
Bot against America: a Chinese AI jolts markets
Silicon Valley firms have poured billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. But a new cheap AI model from DeepSeek, a Chinese start-up, has sent shockwaves through the stockmarket. Our correspondent explains why investors are rattled. Canada’s remote indigenous communities ... Show More
24m 41s
Oct 2023
Can artificial intelligence grow safely?
<p>Economists expect that jobs growth in the US slowed again in September, and the recent sell-off in bonds might be starting to cool. Plus, artificial intelligence is cool and all, but can companies use this new tech in a way that isn’t toxic?&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Mentioned i ... Show More
9m 31s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: AI rest my case
The companies behind this wonder of tech are facing allegations of using copyrighted material to build their large language models (LLMs). But will the courts consider it fair use? Why ex-inmates are so likely to die just after they leave prison (10:15). And, the case for booing ... Show More
20m 38s
Oct 2024
How Two AI Startup Unicorns Went Bust
AI is hard. How hard? Your company can hit a valuation of more than one billion dollars one moment and you're out of business the next. We look at two digital health companies that went from the highest highs to the lowest lows.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio ... Show More
40m 31s
Aug 2024
Nvincible? What could curb Nvidia’s supremacy
The American chip designer has become one of the world’s most valuable companies on the back of the AI revolution. But there are some contradictions in Nvidia’s plans for the future. California’s iconic Highway 1 is under threat (10:46). And why Europeans are spurning nudity (20: ... Show More
26m 11s
Feb 2025
AI's Sputnik moment
Chinese startup DeepSeek has upended assumptions about what it will take to fund and fuel the next generation of artificial intelligence. Tech correspondents Jeffrey Dastin and Anna Tong discuss the fallout for Silicon Valley, investors and global politics.   Sign up for the Reu ... Show More
15m 35s
Nov 2025
Bubble talk – Part 2
What if the AI investment boom goes wrong? Host Carmel Crimmins and Reuters editor-at-large Mike Dolan reconvene to look at the real-world impact of the dash for artificial intelligence and the role national security is playing in the multi-billion dollar spending spree. Sign up ... Show More
39m 15s