The Spillover

Could the AI Debt Problem Create the Next Financial Crisis?

August 26, 2026·1h 5m
Episode Description from the Publisher

The financing behind the AI boom has grown so large that treasury bond yields are approaching levels not seen since the leadup to the 2008 financial crisis. But is the risk to the financial market overblown? This week, Rebecca Patterson and Sebastian Mallaby are joined by Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, to discuss the threat AI debt poses to the U.S. bond market.   Hosts:  Sebastian Mallaby, Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)  Rebecca Patterson, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)    Guest:  Torsten Slok, Partner and Chief Economist at Apollo   Mentioned on the Episode:   Torsten Slok, “A Slower AI Payoff Would Be Everyone's Problem,” Apollo   Torsten Slok, “Monitoring the AI Trade: How Growing Debt Issuance Is Reshaping the Landscape,” Apollo   Want to keep up with The Spillover? Sign up to receive an email alert when new episodes are released.    The Spillover is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the hosts and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

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