Marketplace®
Every story is an economic story
 

Erika Soderstrom

Associate Producer

Erika works with a group of extraordinary producers to chase business and economic stories heard on “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Latest from Erika Soderstrom

  • People have received calls from what sounds like a relative asking for money, but the voice was generated by artificial intelligence in a fraudulent scheme.
    Tero Vesalainen/Getty Images Plus

    The technology’s ability to clone voices and likenesses makes authentication harder but more urgent, says Wasim Khaled of Blackbird.AI.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Don’t believe everything you hear
    Tim Sloan/AFP via Getty Images

    Scam calls trying to steal money are getting increasingly believable, thanks to generative AI. We’ll hear from an expert, and talk to an actual AI-generated voice. Plus, the “green bank” the Biden administration set up to invest in community climate resilience.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Hollywood actors strike over pay and AI
    Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: It’s the biggest industry walk-out in 60 years. The Screen Actors Guild wants streaming giants to agree to a fairer profit split and better working conditions; it also wants to protect actors from being usurped by digital replicas. After the 2011 tsunami in Japan, more than 1,000,000 tonnes of radioactive waste water built up in tanks on the Fukushima nuclear site, which Japan now has permission to release into the Pacific Ocean. The French government is encouraging people to ignore fashion trends by repairing existing clothes

    Read MoreDownload
  • What do we do with all this office space?
    C. Taylor Crothers/Getty Images

    With the demise of daily in-person work, companies are trying to offload excess square footage of office space. We’ll talk ripple effects with a McKinsey researcher. Plus, why Chinese hackers would target the U.S. Commerce Department.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Almost every company is reevaluating its relationship with commercial real estate, says Aditya Sanghvi of McKinsey.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Offices are at the epicenter of seismic pandemic shifts, per McKinsey’s Aditya Sanghvi. They need to become places where people want to be.

    Read MoreDownload
  • A double strike in Hollywood is likely
    Mario Tama/Getty Images

    This could be the first time the actors’ and writers’ unions have been on strike together since 1960. Plus, Americans are drinking less beer, and work from home has caused a shift that seems here to stay in commercial real estate.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Pakistani banknotes and coins in Pakistan.
    Getty Images

    The International Monetary Fund has approved the release of funds over nine months to support Pakistan’s economic stabilization program. It’s a year since former Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled Sri Lanka amidst a huge economic crisis; and although things have improved, high prices are leaving many people struggling to cope. Tennis fans have been glued to coverage of Wimbledon and whilst broadcasters provide gripping commentary for big matches, many of the other games aren’t covered. That’s all about to change, thanks to artificial intelligence.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Can AI do your taxes? Not quite yet.
    Daenin Arnee via Getty Images

    KPMG just announced they’re partnering with Microsoft to create AI tools to use for their audit, tax and advisory services. The hope? AI could make accounting more efficient. Plus, an update on the PGA Tour’s senate hearing.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Bank of America will give  $100 million back to customers that it wrongfully took in fees. The bank will also pay another $150 million in penalties.
    Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

    Financial regulatory director says laws are not suggestions for banks.

    Read MoreDownload
  • KPMG's U.S. Chair and CEO Paul Knopp says AI will make services more effective and efficient.
    Getty Images

    KPMG hopes a new investment in AI will help boost worker efficiency.

    Read More