Economy

Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually underappreciating the transformative potential of AI?

This week, The Indicator hosts a two-part debate on the hype around generative AI. Today, the first episode: Despite all the news coverage and money, is AI underrated?

Guest Tyler Cowen's book that he published as an AI chatbot is GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? and his interview with an AI Jonathan Swift is on his podcast, Conversations With Tyler.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Even before the Dune: Part 2 popcorn bucket went viral this year, movie theaters have been trying all types of ways to lure customers back. There's reclining seats, expanded menu options and even more merchandise. Today on the show, we track the rise of the popcorn bucket and its afterlife on eBay.

Related episodes:
Coyote vs. Warner Brothers Discovery (Apple / Spotify)
​​Why platforms like HBO Max are removing streaming TV shows (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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You may have heard some big news this past weekend: Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election. This leaves Kamala Harris as the favorite to be the Democratic nominee.

On today's show, We imagine what can be, and we're unburdened by what has been: Kamala Harris' economics, delegate math in deciding the nominee and ... can Kamala Harris use Joe Biden's campaign money?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Many tech entrepreneurs have long suggested that guaranteed income could cushion job losses from AI and automation. The latest and largest study of the idea was spearheaded by the man behind ChatGPT.

In 2022, artist Stuart Semple opened up his laptop to find that all his designs had turned black overnight. All the colors, across files on Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator, were gone. Who had taken the colors away? The story of what happened begins with one company, Pantone.

Pantone is known for their Color of the Year forecasts, but they actually make the bulk of their money from selling color reference guides. These guides are the standard for how designers pretty much anywhere talk about color.

On today's show, how did Pantone come to control the language of the rainbow? We look back at the history of Pantone, beginning with the man who made Pantone into the industry standard. And, we hear from Stuart, who tried to break the color monopoly.

Share your thoughts — What color should we choose to be Planet Money's color?

This episode was hosted by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and Jeff Guo, and produced by Willa Rubin with help from James Sneed. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Debbie Daughtry with help from Carl Craft. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

It's Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover climbing corporate bankruptcies, J.D. Vance's potential to bring the dollar down, and the NBA's new super serious salary cap.

Related episodes:
The Science of Hoops
Why Ecuador Uses The Dollar?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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The Supreme Court's decision to quash Chevron deference means countless agency regulations are now more vulnerable to being challenged and struck down. Think the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to boost electric vehicle sales, discrimination protections against transgender people, and rules that expand eligibility for overtime.

Yesterday, we explained the history that led to this moment. Today, we look at the how the decision will play into a wave of regulatory lawsuits.

Related episodes:
The conservative roots behind the Chevron doctrine (Apple / Spotify)
Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.