Season 7, Episode 34: What if everything turns out alright?

<p>Among the many disastrous consequences predicted of artificial intelligence is a jobs famine: widespread worker displacement that devastates the economy and brings about a second Great Depression.</p><p>But that hasn&#39;t happened. In fact, the US economy is doing well and, with a 4.1% unemployment rate, operating roughly at full employment, despite other headwinds like persistent inflation. And while whether humanity is &quot;early&quot; in the adoption phase of artificial intelligence is debatable -- I argue that, certainly, from an exposure standpoint, AI is a familiar technology at this point -- the notion that AI has displaced large swaths of the workforce is not supported in the current data.</p><p>Given the buoyancy of the economy, should we reduce the odds of that happening? We can&#39;t definitively say that it won&#39;t, of course, but we can use the data at our disposal now -- in September 2026, nearly four years after ChatGPT&#39;s launch -- to update our likelihoods. And one likelihood that I believe is underestimated, sitting somewhere between <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/the-prosperous-society/">The Prosperous Society</a> and total economic Armageddon, is that everything turns out alright.</p><p>Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:</p><ul><li><a href="https://webshop.xsolla.com/home?utm_source=content-syndication&utm_medium=infuencer&utm_campaign=webshop2025&utm_content=MDMPod">⁠</a><a href="https://www.incrmntal.com/">⁠<strong>INCRMNTAL</strong>⁠⁠⁠</a>. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.</li><li><a href="https://www.branch.io/">⁠<strong>Branch</strong></a><a href="https://www.universalads.com/">⁠</a>. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact <a href="mailto:advertising@mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo advertising</a>.</p><p>The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:</p><ul><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0RCsc3OW1p9jH5YC0qQTp0?si=jgSk98sURta7aWBpjkTpXg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtGOpnB6JmAkPxLKxRvGwBg">YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mobile-dev-memo-podcast/id1423753783" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a></li