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Preparing for AI is back with the first epsiode of Series 3!

The gap between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else isn't just growing—it's accelerating at an alarming rate and we need to talk about it. In this thought-provoking episode, we tackle the uncomfortable truth that wealth inequality underpins virtually every major social problem we're facing today.

Drawing inspiration from economist Gary Stevenson's work, we explore how our obsession with GDP growth has created an economic illusion that ignores human wellbeing and environmental sustainability. The "trickle-down" promise has proven hollow, with wealth consistently moving upward rather than downward. Meanwhile, property and assets become increasingly concentrated among a tiny percentage of the population, leaving younger generations with diminishing prospects.

But what happens when we add AI to this already precarious equation? Technology has historically enabled continued growth by finding more efficient ways to use resources, but AI represents something fundamentally different. It threatens to make large portions of the workforce economically irrelevant, potentially creating what we describe as "techno-feudalism" – a society where a tiny elite owns everything while most humans subsist on universal basic income.

Yet AI might also be our salvation. Sufficiently advanced systems could help design economic frameworks that balance human needs with planetary boundaries, similar to Kate Raworth's "Donut Economics" model. The challenge lies in convincing those with power to implement changes that benefit everyone, not just themselves.

Have we reached a breaking point where our economic system must evolve or collapse? And what would you personally be willing to give up for a more equitable society? Join the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments.