The Intelligence from The Economist

Our correspondent goes inside a Chinese robot facility to see thousands of droids being taught to complete useful tasks. Is it worth the time and money? How Meta’s $17bn settlement at its blockbuster trial could change teen social-media use. And 75 years of the Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company.

Watch extended clips from Insider here, plus the full Elon Musk interview

Guests and host:
Don Weinland, China business editor
Alice Fulwood, “Money Talks” host and US business editor
Alexandra Suich-Bass, culture editor
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Robots, humanoids, China, AI
Meta, Instagram, Facebook, social media, addiction,
Shakespeare and Company, Paris, bookshops

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Personalised vaccines could offer a breakthrough in the fight against cancer. Our correspondent analyses the latest trial. Canada’s oil market is flourishing, despite the trade war. And, why we will always love Dolly Parton.

Guests and host:
Natasha Loder, health editor
Sarah Lawrynuik, deputy editor of “The Intelligence”
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Cancer, immunotherapy, vaccines, mRNA
Oil, Canada, trade war, tariffs
Dolly Parton, country music

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Amid record-tickling yields, the bond markets are now trying to make sense of what Scott Bessent, America’s Treasury secretary, has announced—a move that might put him on a collision course with the Federal Reserve. We ask why it is so easy for hackers to infiltrate America’s water infrastructure. And understanding a political lineage through the new British prime minister’s accent.

Guests and host:
Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent
Shashank Joshi, Washington bureau chief
Lane Greene, language correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
bond markets, Treasury, yields, Scott Bessent
America, cyber-attacks, water, critical infrastructure
British politics, Andy Burnham, accents, class angst

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After much hullabaloo America announced its “Operation Economic Outcast”, a new tranche of sanctions. It is thin gruel, and might in fact invite military reprisals from Iran. Call centres form a large part of the economy of the Philippines; surprisingly, AI is not stopping the industry’s rise. And a data-led look at which cities offer the best (relative) paycheques.

Guests and host:
Fraser McIlwraith, foreign correspondent
Joshua Spencer, Asia news editor
Vishnu Padmanabhan, Asia correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Iran war, sanctions
AI, offshoring, the Philippines
world cities, pay, economic migration

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Promising trade talks imploded after a literal 11th-hour change from the American side. We examine the new trade barriers being erected, and the complex calculation for Prime Minister Mark Carney. In Japan Gen X workers are even still bearing the costs of an economic bubble-burst from the 1990s. And how fates of civilisations have turned on sieges throughout history.

Guests and host:

Hal Hodson, Americas editor
Moeka Iida, East Asia reporter
Richard Cockett, senior digital editor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Canada, the United States, tariffs, Mark Carney, trade war
Japan, Gen X, labour market
sieges, world history

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Correction (August 26th): We originally published a version of this podcast stated that Japan's bubble era spanned the 1970s and 1980s. It was only the 1980s. Apologies for the error.

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