Why is the stockmarket ignoring reality? | The Economist

2026-04-12

Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind’s CEO, warns there’s a “non-zero chance” things go badly wrong with AI. On the latest episode of Inside Tech, he explains why he sees AI as a tool, not a deity—and why the race to AGI demands caution, not just speed.

2026-04-10

Donald Trump’s supporters thought the risks of his presidency were peripheral. Now, those risks are front and centre.

Charlotte Howard, our New York bureau chief, and Greg Carlstrom, our Middle East correspondent, discuss how the president’s rhetoric is unsettling allies at home and abroad.

2026-04-04

Water infrastructure in the Middle East has been hit at least three times since the Iran war began. For Gulf countries reliant on desalination, further escalation could be catastrophic.

2026-04-02

The Economist’s planetary affairs expert analyses the launch of Artemis II. Oliver Morton, The Economist’s senior editor and author of “The Moon: A History for the Future” and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss why humans are heading back to the Moon, the new space race and how future Moon bases could reshape science, industry and exploration of space.

01:11 – What is Artemis II?
03:26 – What comes next after Artemis II?
04:27 – What is the point of building a Moon base?
05:16 – Why go back to the Moon at all?
06:12 – America v China – Is this a new space race?
06:47 – Can NASA actually deliver on its plans?
07:32 – What does America have to gain from Artemis II?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3O6drAq
NASA’s Moon-base plans mark a rethinking of its

2026-02-25

Elon Musk thinks the future of AI might not be on Earth at all—but in orbit.

On the latest episode of Inside Tech, Tom Standage and Alex Hern explore how orbital data centres would work, whether the numbers add up, and why this once outlandish concept is suddenly being taken seriously.

#ElonMusk #SpaceX #xAI #AIInfrastructure #DataCenters #SpaceTech #TechNews #futureofai #datacentres

00:00 – Why put data centres in space?
03:05 The numbers behind orbital compute
06:10 The race for AI dominance

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2026-02-17

Alcohol has shaped human history, from our ancestors’ descent from the trees to the formation of civilisations. But today a new wariness of booze is spreading. Natasha Loder, The Economist’s health editor, explores whether we have reached peak alcohol.

#alcohol #alcoholfree #drinks

Read more: https://econ.st/44xPKGy
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2026-02-13

Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s prime minister, bet big – and won bigger – when she called a snap election. But who is she? And how will she use her historic mandate? Our editors explain.

#japan #china #foreignpolicy #defence #diplomacy

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2025-12-26

Fighting a war in space is no longer science fiction. The Economist’s defence editor, Shashank Joshi, explains how military competition is intensifying far above the earth.