Economist Podcasts

Boss Class 1. Fat layer of humans

Can AI do my job? How should employees and bosses be using the technology right now? And how should all of us prepare for the future? Andrew Palmer returns for a third season of Boss Class. This time it’s all about AI. In the first episode, he starts introducing AI into his daily work routines, and receives a nasty shock. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. In this episode, Andrew asks Claude, a generative AI programme, to write his management column for him. You can find Andrew’s column here [https://www.economist.com/business/2025/08/21/the-last-days-of-brainstorming] and Claude’s version here [https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/257d4f11-d2f2-4631-9562-9a0380c395fd]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Democracy on ICE? The mood turns in America

On the streets of Minneapolis, in polls and in the halls of Congress, disapproval of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is mounting. Democrats won a near-term battle on funding—for now—but a wider war [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/01/29/ices-impunity-is-a-formula-for-more-violence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] awaits. Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, appears to be positioning his daughter ever more visibly [https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/01/08/the-teenage-girl-who-may-rule-north-korea?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] as his successor. And remembering Mark Tully [https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/01/28/mark-tully-spoke-to-indians-as-one-of-them?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners], a veteran BBC correspondent in India.  Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Interview: Bret Taylor of Sierra and OpenAI

A conversation about the potential and limits of AI agents with the co-founder of Sierra, an agentic customer-service company. Bret Taylor, who is also the chairman of OpenAI, tells Andrew Palmer about the imperfections of the technology, the competition between model-makers and vendors, and how he uses AI to manage. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. This episode is also available to watch on The Economist’s YouTube channel. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

1. Fat layer of humans

How should employees and bosses be using the technology right now? And how should all of us prepare for the future? Andrew Palmer returns for a third season of Boss Class. This time it’s all about AI. In the first episode, he starts introducing AI into his daily work routines, and receives a nasty shock. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. In this episode, Andrew asks Claude, a generative AI programme, to write his management column for him. You can find Andrew’s column here [https://www.economist.com/business/2025/08/21/the-last-days-of-brainstorming] and Claude’s version here [https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/257d4f11-d2f2-4631-9562-9a0380c395fd]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

No middle ground: Iran’s dangerous division

As the smoke of a murderous crackdown clears, Iranians have hardened into two camps. Moderates and reformists are out; a sense of looming civil war is in. As America nears its 250th birthday, we launch our series [https://www.economist.com/interactive/america-at-250?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] examining the highlights and low points of its history. And why the wild playground popularity of the song “Sigma Boy [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/01/26/how-russian-brainrot-became-a-hit-for-children?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners]” is so worrisome. Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.