Roll The Boulder

Episode 4: Humans Need Not Apply

In this punchy episode of Roll The Boulder, we expose how AI stands poised to trigger a job market upheaval that makes previous automation waves look tame. Tracing the century-long tug-of-war between labor and capital, we uncover the roots of rampant inequality—and how AI could accelerate a slide toward “neo-feudal” power structures. From driverless trucks to AI-generated content, entire industries face mass disruption, while the ultra-wealthy quietly fortify themselves with bunkers and private security. Tune in to see why the next decade could be an inflection point, and how our collective response may spell liberation—or dystopia. CITATIONS: Autor, D., Katz, L., & Kearney, M. S. (2006). The polarization of the U.S. labor market. NBER Working Paper Series. https://doi.org/10.3386/w11986 Autor, D., Mindell, D., & Reynolds, E. (2021). AI and the changing job market. MIT Task Force on Work of the Future. Bruun, E., & Duka, A. (2018). Artificial intelligence, jobs and the future of work. Basic Income Studies, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/bis-2018-0012 Danso, B. W., & Eric, H. (2023). Artificial intelligence disruption and its impacts on future employment. i-manager’s Journal on Software Engineering. Datta, Y. (2023). A framework for income, inheritance, and wealth tax in America amid increasing income inequality. Journal of Economics and Public Finance. Gerlich, M. (2024). Brace for impact: Facing the AI revolution and geopolitical shifts in a future societal scenario for 2025–2040. Societies. Gruetzemacher, R., Paradice, D., & Lee, K. (2020a). Forecasting extreme labor displacement: A survey of AI practitioners. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120478 Gruetzemacher, R., Paradice, D., & Lee, K. (2020b). Forecasting extreme labor displacement: A survey of AI practitioners. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120478 Karangutkar, A. A. (2023). The impact of artificial intelligence on job displacement. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology. Kiatpongsan, S., & Norton, M. (2014). How much (more) should CEOs make? A universal desire for more equal pay. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 9(6), 587–593. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614549773 Lovati, J. M. (1976). The unemployment rate as an economic indicator. Canadian Parliamentary Review. Masoud, N. (2024). Artificial intelligence and unemployment dynamics. Technological Sustainability. Przychodzeń, W., & Gómez‐Bezares, F. (2021). CEO–employee pay gap, productivity, and value creation. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 14(5), 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14050196 Rosefielde, S. (2000). The civilian labour force and unemployment in the Russian Federation. Europe-Asia Studies, 52(1), 7–24. Santhosh, A., Unnikrishnan, R., & Shibu, S. (2023). AI impact on job automation. International Journal of Engineering Technology and Management Sciences. Subramanian, S., & Kawachi, I. (2004). Income inequality and health: What have we learned so far? Epidemiologic Reviews, 26(1), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxh003

Episode 3: Battles Won & A War Lost

In this episode, we delve into the tumultuous 20th century—the moment labor briefly triumphed, only to see its victories dismantled as corporate power roared back. From trust-busting and progressive reforms to the rise of unions and the birth of the middle class, we trace how shifting ideologies, automation, and soaring inequality set the stage for today’s precarious economy. And as we stand on the brink of an AI-driven era, we ask: did the 20th century’s unheeded lessons doom us all to repeat history? SOURCES: Maleh, K. R. (2022). The impact of the progressive movement on the domestic politics of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1908). Thi Qar Arts Journal. Cocks, C. C., Holloran, P., & Lessoff, A. (2009). Historical dictionary of the progressive era. Choice Reviews Online. Gould, L. (1974). America in the progressive era, 1890–1914. Postel, C. (2014). If they repeal the progressive era, should we care? The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Yan-wei, L. (2010). American progressive movement and the rise of middle class. Journal of Tianjin University. Perkins, L. (1997). Nannie Helen Burroughs: A progressive example for modern times. Affilia. Bevis, T. B., & Lucas, C. J. (2007). The early 1900s: Foreign student enrollments and emerging support. McGerr, M. (2003). A fierce discontent: The rise and fall of the progressive movement in America, 1870–1920. Borstelmann, T. (2011). The 1970s: A new global history from civil rights to economic inequality. Freeman, R. (1988). Contraction and expansion: The divergence of private sector and public sector unionism in the United States. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2(2), 63–88. Salvatore, N. (2012). A brief ascendency: American labor after 1945. The Forum, 10. Sharpe, M. (2016). The decline of unions, the rise of inequality. Challenge, 59(2), 153–154. Smith, J. (2006). Capitalism unleashed. International Review of Applied Economics, 20(4), 527–530. Smolensky, E., & Plotnick, R. (1993). Research on poverty discussion papers. Autor, D., Katz, L., & Kearney, M. S. (2008). Trends in U.S. wage inequality: Revising the revisionists. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 90, 300–323. Freeman, R. (1995). Doing it right?: The U.S. labor market response to the 1980s/1990s. LSE Research Online Documents on Economics. Wolff, E. (1998). Recent trends in the size distribution of household wealth. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12, 131–150. Mouw, T., & Kalleberg, A. (2010). Occupations and the structure of wage inequality in the United States, 1980s to 2000s. American Sociological Review, 75, 402–431. Bound, J., & Holzer, H. (1996). Demand shifts, population adjustments, and labor market outcomes during the 1980s. Journal of Labor Economics, 18, 20–54. Autor, D., Katz, L., & Kearney, M. S. (2006). The polarization of the U.S. labor market. NBER Working Paper Series. ADDITIONAL WEB SOURCES Economic Policy Institute. (2023). CEO pay in 2023. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2023/ [https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2023/] Economic Policy Institute. (n.d.). Charting wage stagnation. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/ [https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/] Economic Policy Institute. (n.d.). Productivity–pay gap. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ [https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/] Ricks, T. E. (1984, July 6). Auto workers accept automation in exchange for job security. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/06/auto-workers-accept-automation-in-exchange-for-job-security/66a9adda-66ec-4a25-aa5c-7663962daddb/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/06/auto-workers-accept-automation-in-exchange-for-job-security/66a9adda-66ec-4a25-aa5c-7663962daddb/] Youngstown Sheet and Tube. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngstown_Sheet_and_Tube [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngstown_Sheet_and_Tube]

Episode 2: Feudal Fields to Factories

In this episode, we journey from the collapse of Rome through the Gilded Age to uncover how every economic system—feudal, mercantile, industrial—has relied on human labor to keep the wheels turning. But what happens when today’s emerging AI and robotics mean the wealthy no longer need a workforce at all? By retracing the bloody births and brutal shifts of past economies—from peasant revolts to robber barons—we reveal a stark new reality: labor has always held some power because it was indispensable. If the elite can automate everything, that power collapses. Join us for a riveting crash course in history that sets the stage for a potentially dystopian near-future—and challenges you to imagine a world where the everyday worker is optional. CITATIONS: 1. Paynter, R. (2012). Commentary on Gilded Ages, now and then. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 16, 776–783.  [https://consensus.app/papers/commentary-on-gilded-ages-now-and-then-paynter/cd83fc8a1e1a5687bb1883831b238398/] 2. Zhu, Z. (2011). Analysis on American industrial workers in the Gilded Age. Productivity Research.  [https://consensus.app/papers/analysis-on-american-industrial-workers-in-the-gilded-age-zhu/12437861a1a75449baeab6d3f4e1f290/] 3. Hoogenboom, A. (2000). The Gilded Age: A history in documents. History: Reviews of New Books, 29(1), 10.  [https://consensus.app/papers/the-gilded-age-a-history-in-documents-hoogenboom/fc9cba5586e256609c340da111ccdc1a/] 4. Orser, C. (2011). Beneath the surface of tenement life: The dialectics of race and poverty during America’s first Gilded Age. Historical Archaeology, 45, 151–165.  [https://consensus.app/papers/beneath-the-surface-of-tenement-life-the-dialectics-of-race-orser/6158b675b4135ecdb7b62ce1d0b9ad2b/] 5. Campbell, B. C. (1999). Understanding economic change in the Gilded Age. OAH Magazine of History, 13(4), 16–20.  [https://consensus.app/papers/understanding-economic-change-in-the-gilded-age-campbell/f8a7eb65ef0455b0a94f86feeb4ebb5a/] 6. Mackay, K. (n.d.). Notable labor strikes of the Gilded Age. Weber State University Faculty. Retrieved from https://faculty.weber.edu/kmackay/notable_labor_strikes_of_the_gil.htm [https://faculty.weber.edu/kmackay/notable_labor_strikes_of_the_gil.htm]  7. Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Gilded Age. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age] 8. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). (n.d.). Distribution of household wealth in the United States. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBST01134 [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBST01134]  9. Statista. (n.d.). Wealth distribution in the United States as of 2024. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/203961/wealth-distribution-for-the-us/ [https://www.statista.com/statistics/203961/wealth-distribution-for-the-us/]

Episode 1: Welcome to Dystopia

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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [https://www.forbes.com/ai-job-displacement-opportunities]