July 30th 2026

The Economist Today Our best journalism, handpicked each day

Brooke Unger Senior digital editor

Am I writing this? Or is AI writing this? After you read our story about AI’s writing tics and how to spot them, you may be able to tell. Two of the biggest winners from the AI boom are South Korean chipmakers, beneficiaries of one of the “greatest cross-border transfers of cash in corporate history”, writes Schumpeter, our business columnist. But their share prices have lately plunged. What does that portend for the artificial-intelligence craze more generally? Today’s episode of The Insider is about the price of beef (and buns and special sauce). The Economist’s Big Mac index is 40 years old, and we’ll use the anniversary to chew over the surprisingly important implications of variation in the cost of fast food across the globe. You can watch from 6pm London time.

Editor’s picks A selection of must-read articles

Paper trails How to spot AI writing Large language models like long words and em-dashes—or do they?

→ AI is getting better at writing. Humans must get better at editing

Schumpeter South Korea’s stock-market boom is collapsing spectacularly It may be a harbinger

40 years of burgernomics What the Big Mac index reveals about a global currency beef It highlights economic problems—and helps explain how to solve them

→ Lessons from 40 years of a meaty measure → Insider: Is the world economy out of balance?

Red card Selling stakes in the beautiful game. What could go wrong? FIFA’s plan to tap private investors is causing outrage

Furry friends once more Why Rwandans are warming to dogs Shunned after the genocide, they have become a status symbol

More of our coverage ▸ Sex, blood and Communist Party virtues. Fans in China have been thrilled by the approval of one of Quentin Tarantino’s most violent works. But they are also curious about what they will not see on the screen. ▸ America has become an entrepreneur’s paradise. Full-time self-employment rose to its highest level this century in 2025. Americans have long loved the idea of being their own boss—many are now making it happen.  ▸ The terrifying threat of a genetically engineered plague. In “Biological War: A Scenario”, Annie Jacobsen imagines the repercussions of a leak from a Russian laboratory. It is an engrossing, plausible book.

Podcast Babbage OpenAI’s alarming escape Listen