Newshounds say that summer is supposed to be quiet. But this week we are in overdrive, with no fewer than three covers. 

In America and Asia we deal with artificial intelligence. The productivity gains from AI cannot yet be seen in the economic statistics of either of the technology’s two clear leaders, America and China. That is what makes this week’s dispatch from China so interesting. My colleague, Sarah Wu, who is based in Beijing, reports that, if you know where to look, AI is already having dramatic effects. For instance, in wildly popular microdramas—stories carved up into one- or two-minute-long episodes—actors and film crews have been replaced almost overnight by people in cubicles feeding prompts to a video-creating AI. Sarah also looks at trucking and humanoid robots, as well as the Chinese government’s nervousness about how the workplace might change.

Our cover leader and this week’s episode of the Insider both stand back, to discuss how Chinese AI compares with America’s. Which country’s models perform better?  Which economy is better at “diffusing” AI into all the myriad uses where it can boost productivity? And which political system is better equipped to deal with any social fallout?

In Britain we report on a different aspect of AI that should serve as a warning to rich democracies around the world. Citizens frustrated by the poor deal they get from the government are turning to AI to file objections and appeals, and claim their dues. A system built for the age of the post and the telephone just cannot cope with the resulting deluge of complaints and demands. The backlog in employment tribunals has risen by 55% in a year, in large part due to AI-fuelled claims. Demand for emergency injunctions has surged 100-fold. And the AI tide has only just begun to come in. 

And in continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa we report on the war in Sudan. Fighting has destroyed swathes of Africa’s third-largest country and driven 14m people from their homes. Hundreds of thousands have probably been killed by fighting, famine and bursts of genocidal violence. The conflict is in part a proxy war between deep-pocketed regional powers vying for resources and influence. Many Sudanese, resigned to being treated as a lost cause, have begun to speak of a “Somalia timeline”: a decades-long conflict with no end in sight. However, after a rare reporting trip to Sudan, my colleague Tom Gardner sees a faint chance of peace—if only the outside world were ready to seize it.