In this first episode of Roll the Boulder, we lift the curtain on a rapidly emerging future shaped by AI-driven job displacement and the unsettling possibility that the world’s wealthiest no longer need the rest of us. Through a vivid 2030 scenario, real headlines, and William Gibson’s prescient warning that “the future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed,” you’ll see how automation is poised to upend stable careers, concentrate power in the hands of tech billionaires, and spark a slow slide into a new form of neo-feudalism. It’s a wake-up call woven into a gripping narrative: one moment you’re hearing coworkers joke uneasily about ChatGPT writing emails, the next you’re facing a national workforce program that seems more dystopian than democratic. If you’ve felt the tension of watching AI slip into your daily life but aren’t sure how deep this rabbit hole goes, you need to tune in. This episode sets the stage for everything to come—unraveling the hidden forces that brought us here and revealing how we might still write our own ending.

CITATIONS

https://www.npr.org/1993/08/31/1107153/science-fiction-writer-william-gibson

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The Wall Street Journal. (2024, March 5). AI seems set to do to computer programming—and possibly other kinds of so-called knowledge work—what automation has done to other jobs. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/ai-is-starting-to-threaten-white-collar-jobs-few-industries-are-immune

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BBC News. (2023, March 28). AI will disrupt many industries but could be mitigated through policy measures like workforce retraining and transitional support. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65102150

BBC News. (2023, March 28). AI could replace a quarter of work tasks in the US and Europe. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65102150

Financial Times. (2024). AI’s transformation of India's technology outsourcing business could lead to significant job loss. Retrieved from...