Episode 1

Episode 1: Welcome to Dystopia

Published on: 2nd March, 2025

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 

BBC News. (2023, March 28). AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million jobs - report. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65102150

 

BBC News. (2023, July 10). AI to hit 40% of jobs and worsen inequality, IMF says. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67977967

 

The Wall Street Journal. (2024, March 5). AI Is Starting to Threaten White-Collar Jobs. Few Industries Are Immune. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/ai-is-starting-to-threaten-white-collar-jobs-few-industries-are-immune

 

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

 

Brookings Institution. (2023). Automation and the future of work. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/research/automation-and-the-future-of-work

 

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 https://www.ft.com/content/technology-outsourcing-ai-impact

 

The Economist. (2024). AI and job displacement: Driving deflation through increased efficiency. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/technology/2024/ai-and-job-displacement

 

Forbes. (2023). AI job displacement and creation opportunities. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/ai-job-displacement-opportunities


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About the Podcast

Roll The Boulder
The world is unraveling—or maybe it's just being rewritten. Roll The Boulder is a sharp, unfiltered dive into the chaos of modern life-- from AI-driven job displacement to the anxiety coursing through so many people to the slow death of community. With wit, irreverence, and a refusal to accept easy answers, we break down the forces shaping our future and ask: Can we push back? Can we rebuild? Part history, part social commentary, all rebellion—this podcast isn’t here to comfort you. It’s here to wake you up.

About your host

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Mike V

I’ve co-hosted the comedy podcast "AHC Podcast" for 5 years and work as a Project Manager in the healthcare field. I’ve been following AI advancements for the past decade. However, the last two years have really heightened my concern. Seeing the rapid growth of AI initiatives in my professional life—and coupling that experience with my personal research—compelled me to create Roll The Boulder.

Because, I believe we’re on the cusp of one of the most significant economic and sociological shifts in human history, and my goal is to illuminate these changes through thoughtful conversations, drawing on both my industry insights and independent studies.