The Economics Show

Tech companies are hiring economists to study how AI is reshaping work and society. But what happens when the companies building the technology also produce the research into its effects? Host Soumaya Keynes talks to Ara Kharazian, chief economist at Ramp and Peter McCrory chief economist at Anthropic, alongside FT data journalist John Burn-Murdoch, about why economists are in such demand, what proprietary data can reveal about AI’s impact, and whether industry-backed research can avoid conflicts of interest.Want more?Are economists making themselves too useful in the AI boom?Find John Burn Murdoch and Sara O’Connor’s The AI Shift newsletter herePresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music by Breen Turner, sound design by Sam Giovinco and Sean O’Garrety. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global economy is becoming increasingly hostile with tariffs, export controls and industrial policy being used as geopolitical weapons, while the world’s biggest powers compete for economic advantage. So where does that leave a middle power like Britain? Host Soumaya Keynes speaks to UK senior civil servant Jenny Bates, who’s just completed the Heywood Fellowship at Oxford university, where she got to think about Britain's place in the world and how it should adapt to a changing geopolitical seascape. They discuss what Britain can learn from historic partnerships and why closer co-operation between government and business could be crucial to navigating a more dangerous global economy.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: Mark Carney urges EU to cement trade deal as Ottawa seeks pivot from USUrsula von der Leyen backs Canada’s ‘associate membership’ bidTrump lays a new trap for TakaichiPresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dads today are doing more childcare than previous generations, so why hasn’t the parenting gap between mothers and fathers disappeared? One reason: mums are doing more too. Host Soumaya Keynes talks to Corinne Low, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and author of 'Femonomics’ (titled ‘Having it all’ in the US), about what the data tells us about how couples divide the work of raising a family and what same-sex couples can teach us about gender roles in parenting. Plus, can Soumaya’s parenting spreadsheet really help make childcare more equal?Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: The perks of parenting by spreadsheetCan AI improve parenting?Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Samantha Giovinco and Breen Turner. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building data centres and running the US government have something in common: they cost a lot of money. Tech companies are borrowing heavily to fund the AI build out, just as Washington is borrowing vast sums to fund the US government, and those two borrowing binges may be on a collision course. Investors are already worried about America’s mounting debt burden and about whether the AI boom has become a bubble. Ruchir Sharma, chair of Rockefeller International and contributing editor to the FT, explains how the two worries might be more closely connected than they first appear, how rising US Treasury yields could raise borrowing costs for AI companies and which number investors should be watching.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: Why America’s debt binge is starting to matterRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent months, part of the chip market has been going bananas. Prices for memory chips – which AI data centres use in droves – have rocketed, as US tech companies lock in massive orders. That’s bad news for consumers facing more expensive electronic devices. But what are the broader consequences of misalignment in this market? How will the chip squeeze end? And, as memory chips become a strategic commodity, how are the US and China looking to secure supply? Host Soumaya Keynes is joined by Dan Kim, chief strategy officer at semiconductor analysis firm TechInsights and former chief economist at the CHIPS Program Office at the US Department of Commerce.Further reading: Why memory chips are the new frontier of the AI revolutionMemory chip boom leaves PC and smartphone makers in the coldMaybe the chips are down because memory’s too expensivePresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.