• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 4 hours ago

Publishers have wised up and are no longer seeing AI thieves beat them at their own game. Take The Economist. 

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has embraced generative AI with a service called Viewpoint AI search & summarization that allows users to ask questions and receive detailed answers from The Economist’s archives.  

The Economist describes this as the first "customer-facing generative AI solution for the B2B arm of the Economist Group" that is “fully integrated."

The new service is designed to help a range of entities— financial services firms, corporations and governments -- navigate the geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape, a complex scene that shows no sign of simplifying heading into 2026. 

EIU users need only ask questions in plain language to received tailored analysis based on the huge repository of EIU data, research, and analytics. 

The Economist argues that multinational organizations need to continually update their  understanding of the implications of global events. They also have to determine how to act.  

“This launch represents a significant milestone for The Economist Group, our first integrated GenAI solution delivered directly to EIU clients,” says Sharon Cooper, chief digital officer, EIU. “It provides immediate value by making it faster and easier for EIU users to find the answers they need.” 

Cooper adds: “Viewpoint AI search & summarisation is the first in a suite of ambitious developments that we have planned to enhance our user experience, and we are thrilled to be launching it for our customers ahead of 2026.” 

It's the right decision. The Economist is offering both breadth and depth, as it does in its reporting. I wish we had a resource like this back in school.