
Choose Your AI Adventure: Immiseration or Extinction
From Crazy Town by Post Carbon Institute
January 28, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 118
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of AI development and its potential risks with Elon Musk as a guest.
Jason and Asher replace Rob with a much more humane and humble co-host, Elon Musk, to explore the feasibility of harnessing the entire sun to power AI superintelligence. We come away perplexed that not much of the excellent reporting on the environmental, energy, and financial risks of the AI boom address the googleplex-sized elephant in the room – that both AI success and failure lead to immiseration. Originally recorded on 12/3/25. Sources/Links/Notes: “ Colossus 1 ” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025 “ Colossus 2 ” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025 Episode 77 , "The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk", Crazy Town podcast, June 14, 2023 “ Elon Musk on DOGE, Optimus, Starlink Smartphones, Evolving with AI, Why the West is Imploding ” All In podcast, September 9, 2025 “Is there an A.I. Bubble? And What if It Pops? ” The Daily, November 20, 2025 Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, “ What If AI Is a Bubble? ” The Atlantic , November 13, 2025 Related episode(s) of Crazy Town : Episode 77, “ The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk ” Episode 84, “ Escaping Technologyism: Dreams of AI Sheep and the Deadliest Word in Film History…
People in this episode
Hosts: Jason, Asher
Guest: Elon Musk
Topics covered
- AI
- environmental risks
- energy
- financial risks
- superintelligence
- immiseration
Keywords
- AI superintelligence
- environmental risks
- energy risks
- financial risks
- immiseration
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Post Carbon Institute
Books & works: Colossus 1, Colossus 2, The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk, Elon Musk on DOGE, Optimus, Starlink Smartphones, Evolving with AI, Why the West is Imploding, Is there an A.I. Bubble? And What if It Pops?, What If AI Is a Bubble?
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