Really enjoying the “Bottleneck” Series. Today’s talk about transformers was an eye opener. Thank you!

Ai voices are terrible- particularly the female one- and SO annoying that they have 3 versions per day. The 3rd one is ‘slightly’ different, but i waste so much time deleting the 2 extra ones and sometimes relistening to the 3rd version of the same day. WHO had the brilliant idea of putting 3 episodes per day?!

The news script and information is good and concise. I just really wish they got a real person to read it. It’s honestly difficult to listen to and maintain attention with such a robotic voice. Just give Jason Palmer an extra gig, he’s the best!!

This daily update now has more ads than news. Now 60 seconds at the beginning and 90 seconds at the end with little news in between. I am an Economist subscriber and use to enjoy these podcast for a quick update in my regular podcast feed. They try to force you to listen to every thing on their apps. Very obnoxious.

This AI voice over is awful. Please hire an actual human.

I love the Econ, and a long time subscriber. But It’s a five minute pod; You couldn’t spring for a real person to read the news?

I pay a lot of money to have a subscription to the Economist. I like the news, but the podcasts drive me crazy. They repeat Word for Word the same story in different podcasts. It actually increases the time I have to invest to fast forward or delete and I’m always wondering what I missed because I’ve had to jump over stuff. I can’t waste my time digging through stuff I’ve already heard. it’s actually driving me to other sources for news. Giving up on this. Tired of hearing the same thing over and over

I am a subscriber, but there’s still advertising

It’s as if NPR noticed that other parts of the world were newsworthy, or if the BBC could figure out how to be concise. I don’t need my news providers to editorialize or emote. The criticisms that other listeners have about this informational podcast are bizarre. I get more information about the state of the world per-second with this podcast than with any competitor, and I’ve tried them all.

I enjoy this podcast: Just what I like—short news clips and non partisan. However when they stitch the episode segments together the first syllable of each news item gets cut off, sometimes omitting crucial info. Please fix the audio to make this podcast one better sound file that doesn’t skip sounds.

Only listened to a single episode . There is zero expression which makes it very difficult to absorb any of the information. My only explanation that is that it must be a script that is read by AI. and if that’s not the case, they need to find somebody else to speak somebody who is authentic and imperfect.

Like listening to AI reading a novel. No presenter skills. Nor humans? Was very interested in a world news roundup but I just can’t listen to this.

Can’t access content because I have pre iOS 17 iPhone- even as a subscriber. Paying for something I can't use. Disappointed with this change.

Like the information but can be very repetitive.

I understand that The News In Brief is published “three times daily,” and the stories cycle through each day, but there are “subscription edition” episodes and “for subscribers only” episodes in my Apple Podcasts feed. Their timestamps are similar, and the phrases in the headlines don’t indicate which is more recent. I have other subscriptions that don’t do this. How about a sequence number, or a date with an A/B/C indicator?

The voice on this podcast makes it difficult to listen to.

I wish I could listen to this. But the voices sound like AI bots to me. It distracts me from hearing any of the content.

What’s the difference between these two? Why is there so much overlap in the stories between the two versions??

I find the what seem to be the computer generated narration to be very irritating. The sound bit used between stories is tiresome in its repetition. Also, many stories are repeated in the podcasts. Do the story once and don’t repeat it in subsequent podcasts please!

Why does The Economist have this podcast? I really don’t understand. If somehow the “presenter” isn’t a bot they’re experimenting with, who could their audience be? This podcast is abysmal.

The AI/text to speech bot is obvious and grating. Uncanny valley. I can’t continue listening.

Used to be a favorite but new host seems to have trouble reporting the news

Speaks distinctly with a nice flowing cadence. Best ever.

Please don’t use AI for host. Thank you

This is incredibly off putting the female is trying so hard to enunciate each word ( with great difficulty) that it’s hard to listen to my favorite news briefs! She can often not pronounce simple words like Deutsche Bank calling it Deutchy … Bank there have been so many of these, that I’ve lost count. Please stop honestly your listeners do not represent the demographic you might be trying to reach!

Speaker sounds like an AI-generated readout of news headlines; uninterested and robotic; very off-putting

EDIT : The new host seems much better now. - The female reader’s voice ressembles a lot what one can generate with an AI-generated text-to-speech service.

This is The Economist? Just added this podcast to my daily podcast feed. NPR and BBC are so much better.

Good, succinct world news source made even better now with the new host.

When the podcast first started, the content was fresh and informative every day. Since it has shifted to three times daily, much of the content is repeated throughout the day. I would much rather hear new news than hear the same news. Just my opinion…

Great daily rundown. Thoughtful and global coverage. I listened daily for a year and then subscribed to the Economist - love that their full weekly editions are on audio.

Sometimes they shine sometimes not so much, but it’s free so why complain.

5 star show with moments of 2. Why the one dimensional opinion on voting rights without discussion? IDs are required for a library card, health care, etc - why not to vote? Vaccination proof required for some to work and travel - is there no room for a voting ID discussion? Are long lines at the polls due to evil intentions or lack of registration? These are observations and unsettled questions not facts. Please be more thoughtful and questioning and less opinionated.

I’m pretty sure the program recently switched to using an AI to read the briefing. The mangled pronunciations are just too particular. It’s distracting and dare I say a little uncanny.

The content is excellent and succinct. Unfortunately, the new reader makes it a painful experience. The delivery is so slow that I fall asleep before a sentence is complete. The quality of voice seems to be poor, but this could be a change in recording equipment. This used to be my favorite podcast. Now, I’m considering cancelation in favor of some of a podcast with both good content and good delivery. The former reader was far superior to this new one.

For the love of God get rid of this guy! Annoying voice, should be reading books to preschoolers not news.

One of my favorite news podcasts when I need to stay informed on-the-go. It's short and straight to the point. When they make a mistake regarding details of the news they cover, they issue a quick apology at the end of the episode. I'm sad to say that this podcasts is one of the only podcasts out there that apologizes if they make a mistake.

For the last week or two a number of words are being dropped. Maybe she is speaking too quietly and the mic isn’t picking them up?

Two Words Im Not Sorry for Breaking rules Penultimate in The slinger It is A cold Hard world Frozen solid Dry ice Wicked compression Horrendously absurd Silently, defiantly Onwards Toxicity Glittering Frosty Two Words Greenhouse Gas Global Warming Carbon Dioxide Wicked Compression Ice Cold Dry Ice Solidly Severed Ice Shelved Great Pyramids Of Freeza Square Cut Negative 108F Opps I Flunked Oppression And Yell Leroy Jenkins LoL WoW!

The first thing I listen to upon waking to get going in the morning. Short and succinct and informative.

Why are these always delivered late? Days go by without one, and then I have to go listen on Spotify, who is NEVER late with their podcasts. Please do better.

Love this app

Colin Powell died of complications exacerbated by Covid-19…. He was battling with cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. You recklessly play into anti-vaccers hands and fears when you say that General Powell “died of Covid-19”. C’mon, Economist…. Be. Better. I listen to the podcast because I believe you’re better.

But updates seem slower and slower. Sometimes over a day late.

As many others have commented, the reader of the news often speaks too quickly and in a brash tenor. It’s grating. The BBC Global News podcast is much more pleasant, with the same substantive punch.

There was a blooper take included in today’s episode. Seriously? Do better, The Economist!

The women broadcaster runs her sentences together. Making two separate stories sound like one. And she speaks too quietly.

The new news reader slurs her words together. It is very difficult for Non-native British English speakers to follow along. Please slow down. Thank you

I have been enjoying your morning briefing, which is delivered fluently and clearly. However the new one today doesn’t live up to these descriptions. Really disappointed with that.

Why does the presenter shout so much? It’s unpleasant.