That is too bad for The Economist. Exor N.V and Agnelli might replace some pundits at The Economist.
Cramer is infamous for being a terrible forecaster, and still has a large audience. Which tells you there is more at play than being good at forecasting, you also have to sell a good story
The Economist has actually published other human forecasts many times, e.g. Metaculus or Good Judgment forecasts. They do year-end forecasts too.
Whether they draw on AI or other humans seems immaterial to the quality of their reporting.
AI won't replace Ann Wroe at The Economist. It is difficult to appreciate until you've read a few, but Ann Wroe's approach transformed The Economist's obituary section into one of the most widely read features in international journalism.