Marketplace All-in-One

An Anthropic researcher publicly resigned this week, warning on social media that artificial intelligence companies are “gambling with our lives.”

It’s part of a growing chorus of insiders pleading to slow down the AI race. One said he believed there was a greater than 10% chance the tech will kill us all in the next decade.

The news comes after a fresh wave of troubling details about the OpenAI incident where agents escaped a testing environment and hacked into Hugging Face.

Plus, data center developers have their eye on Patagonia — the colder, the better. And Amazon is betting AI lip-syncing can make dubbed video content more watchable.

Maria Curi, tech policy reporter at Axios, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino to break down the busy week in tech news.

Everything we talked about:

Scoop: Sanders convenes senators for AI briefing amid mounting alarm — from Axios

Tech explores Argentina's Patagonia for mega data centers — from Reuters

Google to invest record $15 billion in AI infrastructure in the ‘Texas of Europe’ — from CNBC

Amazon Prime Video’s new AI tech matches lips to dubbed audio — from The Verge

Oil industry analysts were hopeful earlier this year that Trump’s war in the Middle East would be short-lived. But it’s become clear that an open flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz will require sustained cooperation between the U.S. and Iran. S&P Global now expects dampered production and choppy prices to continue into 2027. Also in this episode: Trucking costs are pushed up by record-breaking diesel prices and a shortage of English-speaking drivers. And, is it a good idea to use AI to develop pharmaceutical drugs?

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Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

The oil roller coaster reaches new heights — and it's a bumpy ride ahead
Trucking costs are rising fast. That could mean even more inflation for consumers
This audio affects business is still waiting on tariff refunds
How this Georgia factory is surviving America's solar policy whiplash
If AI helps speed up drug development, can the FDA keep up?
The construction manager who quit his 9-to-5 to build something for himself

Today, the Census Bureau releases its wholesale trade report for July, which could give us some insight into one of the big drivers of economic activity in the U.S. right now: AI data centers. Sales of electrical equipment, computers, and machinery have been really strong as companies build out the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence. We hear more. Then, could nixing parking spot requirements help spur new housing construction?

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Less than eight weeks until midterm elections, the economy remains the center of voters' attention. Ipsos and Reuters just released a poll that found 74% of voters think their own cost of living is heading down the wrong track. What’s more, 59% of Americans don’t think their family has a good chance of improving their standard of living. Also on the show: a preview of Friday's consumer price index and the economic impact of Germany's border checks.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Nate Soares has been worried about artificial intelligence longer than almost anyone.

He's the president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and co-author of the subtly named book, "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All."

He's watched with a sort of grim vindication, as increasingly alarming details emerge about the hack of the AI company Hugging Face by OpenAI models in development.

OpenAI and third-party investigators recently released reports outlining what went wrong. Soares worries it's not enough.

More on this:

The Hugging Face incident and the road ahead - From OpenAI

Brief independent investigation of agents’ behavior, reasoning and collaboration in the OpenAI / Hugging Face hacking incident - From METR and Redwood Research