The Economist had its own take on magic recently. The magazine’s recent article, “How Magicians Stay Relevant in the Age of AI,” unsurprisingly talks about Houdini (another reason magic is so hot right now is that 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the escape artist’s death), but also reports back from attending MAGIC Live this last August (where the writer vaguely refers to seeing microchips for sale and, unfortunately less vaguely, a blow-up doll), and also interviews magicians like David Blaine, Asi Wind, and Gabriella Lester.
The article pulls at the threads of the generational divide found in the age of TikTok—“As veterans age and are replaced by digitally native youngsters, some fear there will be a shortage of magicians who can give long, immersive shows”—and ultimately concludes that technology, in the right hands, can be good for the art: “Phones will not kill magic. Good magicians incorporate them into their acts.”