<description>&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sources/Links/Notes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;“&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.searchengine.show/colossus-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Colossus 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;“&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.searchengine.show/colossus-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Colossus 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-06-14/crazy-town-episode-77-muskitude/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Episode 77&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;, "The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk", &lt;em&gt;Crazy Town&lt;/em&gt; podcast, June 14, 2023&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;“&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FBUSJRn9kHQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Elon Musk on DOGE, Optimus, Starlink Smartphones, Evolving with AI, Why the West is Imploding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;” All In podcast, September 9, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/podcasts/the-daily/ai-bubble-silicon-valley-openai-data-centers.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;“Is there an A.I. Bubble? And What if It Pops?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;” The Daily, November 20, 2025 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, “&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2025/11/ai-bubble-us-economy/684906/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;What If AI Is a Bubble?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;” &lt;em&gt;The Atlantic&lt;/em&gt;, November 13, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Related episode(s) of &lt;em&gt;Crazy Town&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Episode 77, “&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-06-14/crazy-town-episode-77-muskitude/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Episode 84, “&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-04-17/crazy-town-episode-84-escaping-technologyism/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Escaping Technologyism: Dreams of AI Sheep and the Deadliest Word in Film History&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Episode 101 “&lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2025-04-02/crazy-town-episode-101-neo-luddism/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>

Crazy Town

Post Carbon Institute

Choose Your AI Adventure: Immiseration or Extinction

JAN 28, 202634 MIN
Crazy Town

Choose Your AI Adventure: Immiseration or Extinction

JAN 28, 202634 MIN

Description

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, 2025Episode 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, 2025Related 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”Episode 101 “Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant”