Out-numbered: AI’s contentious maths milestone

<p>OpenAI’s claim to have solved one of the great problems in mathematics has itself created problems. We ask why the breakthrough has <a href="economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/09/0…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shaken the field</a>. On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 we examine the vast counterterrorism machinery that followed in America, and nascent efforts to <a href="economist.com/united-states/2026/09/10/how-cou…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pare those powers back</a>. And remembering <a href="economist.com/obituary/2026/09/03/guo-lanying-…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Guo Lanying</a>, a Chinese singer who championed traditional opera.</p><br><p>Watch extended clips from Insider <a href="economist.com/interactive/insider/previews?utm…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Sam Wikeley, science correspondent</li><li>Sam Beal, Washington correspondent</li><li>Ann Wroe, obituaries editor</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>mathematics, AI, Millennium Prize Problems</li><li>9/11 anniversary, counterterrorism law</li><li>Guo Lanying, Chinese opera</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p>

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