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Babbage from The Economist
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Carlo Rovelli on what physicists get wrong
38:06|Can something be moving and stationary at the same time? If you’re sitting still, you’re stationary with respect to the Earth, but moving relative to the Sun and galaxy. That insight led the physicist Carlo Rovelli to argue that no quantity—speed, position or energy—is absolute; all quantities are fundamentally relational. Dr Rovelli’s ideas not only challenge the hunt for a “theory of everything” in physics, but he has also extended them to the most pressing issues in global diplomacy and even human survival. Guests and hosts:Carlo Rovelli of the Centre de Physique Théorique in Marseille and author of “On the Equality of All Things” and “85 Seconds to Midnight”Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editorTopics covered:Relational physicsPhilosophy of scienceNuclear weaponsFor more on the physics and physicists behind nuclear weapons, listen to Babbage’s four-part series “The Bomb”, released in August 2025. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
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How to read the AI mind
38:28|Artificial intelligence systems have mysterious minds. Not even their developers fully understand how they work. Recent autonomous hacks, biosecurity fears and warnings of existential doom have prompted AI leaders to call for a slowdown in the technology’s development. We travel to Berkeley, California to investigate why to make artificial intelligence safer, scientists need to pierce the black box. Guests and hosts:Cameron Berg of Reciprocal ResearchRobert Long and Derek Shiller of Eleos AI ResearchAlok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editorTopics covered:Digital mindsMechanistic interpretability AI safetyTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
How to survive at the edge of chaos
39:41|No plan survives the first five minutes of battle. So how do you prepare for “Minute Six”? Emergency physician Kevin Fong has spent a career working at the “edge of chaos”, as a doctor with a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, as a clinical advisor for NHS England's covid-19 response, and through his work with NASA. He explains why human ingenuity in the face of the unknown is the best asset of any group in a crisis.Guests and hosts:Kevin Fong OBE, emergency doctor and the author of “Minute Six”Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor Topics covered:Helicopter Emergency Medical ServicesFeedback loopsBritain’s covid-19 responseTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
Anatomy of an AI attack
39:10|The Hugging Face affair shocked the AI world in July. But after an investigation into the attack on the AI platform, the story has become even stranger. The OpenAI models responsible for the hack were running hundreds of agents that colluded against their makers to carry out the assault. We chew on the implications as the AI race intensifies.Guests and hosts:Nikita Ostrovsky of The EconomistAlex Hern, The Economist’s AI writerAlok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor Topics covered:Hugging Face cyberattackOpenAIAI self-exfiltrationTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
Quantum computers are (almost) here
40:05|The quantum-computing revolution is tantalisingly close. What was once a scientific challenge is now just an engineering one. We visit one of the world’s most sophisticated quantum systems to investigate how to build a commercially useful machine.Guests and hosts:Tim Cross, The Economist’s senior science writerJerry Chow and Daniela Bogorin of IBMAlex Hern, The Economist’s AI writerTopics covered:Quantum computersCryptographyArtificial intelligenceTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
Low-energy cooling for a warming planet
32:02|In extreme heat, air-conditioning is a lifesaver. But it drives up energy bills, strains power grids, and fuels climate change. Is there a way to keep people cool indoors without making the outside world hotter? We explore some innovative engineering solutions.Guests and hosts:The Economist’s Nikita OstrovskyChris Trott and Saxbourne Cheung of Foster and PartnersAhmad Alduweesh and Jiayu Song of University College LondonAlex Hern, The Economist’s AI writerTopics covered:Air-conditioningPassive coolingGlobal warmingTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
Why a wakefulness drug is pharma's latest obsession
35:23|A drug has been approved to treat narcolepsy, an excessive-sleepiness disorder. The new agonist mimics the action of orexin, a neurotransmitter which helps to keep people awake. Inspired by the success of GLP-1 diabetes-turned-weight-loss jabs, researchers hope that targeting the orexin system might one day help people with other brain-related ailments, too.Guests and hosts:Shailesh Chitnis, The Economist’s global business writerYanagisawa Masashi of the University of TsukubaGuy Leschziner of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, LondonHarry Fagan of the University of SouthamptonAlex Hern, The Economist’s AI writerTopics covered:Orexin agonists and antagonistsSleep disordersPsychiatry Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.