Business Daily

Artificial intelligence is developing faster than many experts predicted, bringing extraordinary opportunities as well as growing concerns. Some of the industry's leading figures are even calling for the pace of development to slow while governments and technology companies grapple with how best to manage the risks. So can humanity remain in control of AI, and how should we govern a technology that is advancing so rapidly?
Presenter/producer: Ed Butler
You can email us: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
(Picture: A Jio humanoid robot named Elixis at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra)

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has claimed more than 3,400 lives and infected thousands more. Despite the scale of the outbreak, there is still no approved vaccine for the latest strain. Leanna Byrne examines what it takes and who pays to develop a vaccine. We look at what is slowing vaccine development and whether the limited commercial market for Ebola vaccines means governments, charities and international donors must step in to fund research.
(Photo: Sanitation measures underway at Bunia market to contain Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 23 May, 2026. Credit: EPA)
You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Matt Lines

Economic unease is growing among Russian workers as fuel shortages and Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt key sectors of the economy. Ed Butler examines the pressures facing businesses, workers and consumers, from damaged refineries to attacks on Wildberries warehouses. As concerns grow over prices, jobs and supply chains, what do these disruptions reveal about the resilience of Russia's wartime economy?
Presenter: Ed Butler
Producer: Victoriya Holland
(Picture: A queue at a petrol station due to fuel shortage following a spate of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the Russian Black Sea resort of Anapa, Russia, July 8, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov)

Across Asia, a growing number of young people are becoming hikikomori, a term used to describe individuals experiencing severe social withdrawal. They shut themselves away at home, retreating from work, school and even family life for months, sometimes years.Some countries, including South Korea, are trying an unexpected approach: government-backed AI chatbots designed to help socially isolated young people reconnect with society. But can artificial companions help tackle loneliness, or could they deepen it?
This bonus episode comes from Asia Specific, another BBC World Service podcast hosted by Mariko Oi. It discusses issues including social isolation and mental wellbeing. Listeners who identify with these experiences are encouraged to seek local support.

Mark Carney and Donald Trump go tit-for-tat as the list of goods subject to tariffs between the US and Canada continues to grow. But will higher import taxes on products crossing the border make cost-of-living pressures even worse for Canadians and Americans? Takara Small in Toronto and Andy Uhler in Austin join Will Bain to discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week's business news, including the much-hyped launch of Apple's first foldable smartphone and the return, at least in cinemas, of convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes.
Presenter: Will Bain
Producer: Josh Martin
(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at a working lunch with leaders of G7 and the Middle East, in Evian-les-Bains, France, 16 June, 2026. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)