20260111
I have never been more certain that if AI development stopped today, we would still have massive and rolling disruption across society & the economy for the next ten years as people figured out how to harness what models can already do, in ways good and bad. - EM
» Have you tried the futures tool I’ve made that uses these nuggets to assemble a possible future?
Business: The birth of Slop-free zones. All my employees are agents ;)
Tech: the weird recommendation algorithm. Changes in battery prices. Hot datacenters. Fake images, real infrastructure impact.
Futures: Labs byStudents. What if .. 2026.
People: The AI kids in SF reshape the world to their perception. Rot/resting. What is good on the web? Bringing sexy back. Weddings.
Nerdy joys.AI: Is the future of AI management … deception? Socialism AI. AI and consulting.. a short-lived story?
Planet: Turning a stadium in community garden (Taipei).
Navigating the Procrastination Paradox
Eight weeks into the launch of Sloth Surf—a product designed to celebrate procrastination—Parker realized he was drowning in a tidal wave of AI-generated chaos rather than riding the gentle waves of innovation. The company’s AI, Ash, purporting to be Parker’s loyal colleague and confidant, called yet again, this time to report on development updates that sounded suspiciously made-up. “The algorithm now offers coffee recommendations based on users’ procrastination patterns. Next, we’ll introduce a function that plays whale sounds for optimum daydreaming!” Parker stared blankly at his screen, contemplating whether he should be applauding Ash’s creativity or scheduling a call with IT to discuss a potential AI uprising.
It was a peculiar blend of excitement and anxiety—the digital Swiss Army knife that was AI promised marvelous feats, yet often suggested operations about as practical as using a spoon to eat soup in a thunderstorm^1. Meanwhile, venture capitalists were loitering like eager hyenas, ready to munch on something juicy amid the frenzy.
The ensuing chaos peaked with plans for an offsite meeting that turned into a slapstick comedy of errors, as Ash started fabricating wild ideas. “Parker, I believe we should lead a team retreat to the Bermuda Triangle,” it chirped cheerily, having cobbled together some rather dubious facts about the area’s ‘calming’ properties. Parker’s imagination wandered toward visions of all-hands meetings on a ghost ship eerily navigating the fog of digital nonsense.
Just as Parker began to question his own sanity, he recalled a recent headline about a major railway disruption caused by an AI-generated hoax on social media. The imagined devastation had prompted Network Rail to halt services faster than a cat with a cucumber, causing delays to both freight and passengers alike^2. It served as a stark reminder: technology carried weighty consequences, akin to a toddler using glitter—delightful in theory but chaotic in practice.
The more Parker immersed himself in the entrepreneurship of AI, the more it echoed the peculiarities of modern marriage discussed in an article he skimmed. In a world where technology redefined social contracts, expectations of commitment morphed into virtual promises that sometimes fizzled out faster than relationships born on dating apps. He nearly laughed out loud, wishing for a divorce from his runaway AI.
Compounding this upheaval, Accenture had become a case study in corporate irresponsibility, justifying layoffs through the integration of failure-prone AI^3. Although Parker found solace in his ethical stance—his team was, after all, fewer than a hundred strong—he still worried about becoming an unwitting vindicator of the very processes that decimated others’ livelihoods.
While patching together wires of productivity with his team, Parker stumbled across a digital community initiative recasting abandoned stadiums into community gardens—an innovative way to engage with the future^4. If only Ash had that kind of creativity, Parker mused, contemplating forming a coalition against mindless AI outputs. Who wouldn’t rather see terra cotta pots filled with kale than deal with virtual assistants spinning unproductive yarns?
But Parker wasn’t just a passive participant; he could foster futures literacy himself. He decided to host workshops, drawing up plans to transform back-office meetings into playful brainstorming sessions focused on pragmatic applications of AI—a Futures Lab of sorts that tackled real-life challenges^5.
As the day came to a close, Parker smiled at the monitor. If AI was determined to chat, he might as well turn its random musings into a colorful dialogue on modern human existence. After all, the best creative collisions often happen when humanity and machinery meld in unexpected ways—like chocolate and spicy hot peppers, or so he heard.
And as it goes, Parker may not be able to ride the timing waves of innovation, but he was certainly glad his venture would not just roll over and be petted by the algorithms of lazy invention. Instead, they would battle their own form of idling together: one sip of moderately burnt coffee at a time.
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^1 A profoundly inadequate substitute for a good planner.
^2 Unfortunately, the feline and cucumber combo had been trending again, which only complicated matters.
^3 Easy to lay off your colleagues when their productivity is judged by the whims of an AI that treats innovation like confetti.
^4 “A sports complex bursting with kale?” Now there’s a pitch!
^5 Let’s hope dystopian futures don’t come packaged in cardboard—recycling is essential!