# 29. How AI Could Trigger the Next Great Depression Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/29-how-ai-could-trigger-the-next-great-depression Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/29-how-ai-could-trigger-the-next-great-depression.md Podcast: [AJ Osborne Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049) Published: 2025-08-21T13:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.ajosborne.com/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast/episodes/2149076366 Audio file: https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149076366.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/episodes/29-how-ai-could-trigger-the-next-great-depression Duration seconds: 1934 ## Resource AI could trigger a new economic crisis —the next great depression —and most people are ignoring it. I’m not just talking about job loss or automation replacing salaries. There’s a much deeper problem —one that could erode the last remnants of stability in the US economy and government. Is AI taking jobs? Yes. But that’s just one of our worries. “Second-order consequences” are coming fast. Nobody is talking about them. The government , the economy, and everyday US citizens are not prepared . And this isn’t just a US problem. Many developed nations are dealing with a generational shift, massive national debt, and a shrinking workforce. Will AI solve this problem or make it even worse?  I’m sharing my theory on how AI will shift the US economy and you individually, the effects that most people are completely overlooking, and a growing concern that is going to hit the US government head-on . AI could be the solution to many of our problems—it could also be our downfall. Which road will we take? Insights from today’s episode:  The shrinking labor force problem that AI can only superficially solve  How the US government’s debt crisis will ramp up once AI replaces jobs The growing wealth gap that could further widen thanks to AI How to protect your personal wealth when AI is taking high-paying jobs  Could taxing the rich fix any of this—or just make it worse? Why U.S. Debt is Everyone’s Problem (Including Yours)  -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFDZwj64EeQ&pp=0gcJCcwJAYcqIYzv   Sign Up for My Newsletter Here: https://ajosborne.com/newsletter   ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/episodes/29-how-ai-could-trigger-the-next-great-depression/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/29-how-ai-could-trigger-the-next-great-depression.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.