Kevin Roose: Futureproof Yourself Against The Robot Apocalyspe

Mar 15, 2021

In this conversation, Kevin Roose, a New York Times bestselling author and technology columnist, shares his insights on AI's pervasive impact on society. He discusses how automation challenges human identity, the importance of critical thinking, and coping strategies for workplace changes. Roose emphasizes the need for maintaining human values amid algorithmic influences and explores the evolving perception of value in creative fields with NFTs. Listeners are encouraged to embrace unique human skills while navigating our increasingly digital landscape.

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ANECDOTE

Christchurch Shooting

The Christchurch shooting was a jarring example of online radicalization.
The shooter, radicalized online, livestreamed the event, highlighting the internet's role in amplifying extremism.

ANECDOTE

Caleb Kane's Radicalization

Caleb Kane, a young man from West Virginia, became radicalized through YouTube videos.
His browsing history helped reconstruct his journey into the alt-right.

INSIGHT

True Growth vs. Phone Use

Constant phone use can hinder personal growth. True growth comes from real-world challenges, not online interactions.

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Artificial Intelligence isn’t an imagined future. It’s right here, right now. So what are the perils of society’s rapid pivot to automation? How do we avoid displacement and dehumanization? And, most pressing, how do we find meaning in a world driven by algorithms?

These are important questions we need to be asking. Today’s guest is the right guy to help answer them—one of my very favorite online follows for his insights on automation, online radicalization, cybersecurity, and digital wellness.

A bestselling author and award-winning technology columnist for The New York Times, Kevin Roose specializes in technology and its effects on society—an interest that culminated in the mind-melting, must-listen podcast series Rabbit Hole, a story that exposes the many ways the internet influences our beliefs and behavior, often for the worse.

A significant portion of today’s conversation focuses on artificial intelligence and the many ways in which our increasingly automated world impacts humanity. It’s also the subject of Kevin’s latest book, Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation. Part A.I. primer part self-help survival guide, it breaks down the tools we need to be happy, successful humans in a world increasingly built by and for machines.

As we usher in the age of artificial intelligence, more and more occupations are becoming automated. Social media algorithms not only frack our attention spans for clicks, but they have so thoroughly manipulated such that we now divest much of our decision-making and critical thinking skills (the things that literally makes us who we are) to technology.

This is an important, potentially life-altering breakdown of the many ways the internet and AI-based algorithms are degrading us, locking us into information silos, inciting emotion for profit, and threatening our inherent humanity.

It’s also a guide on surviving workplace automation, overcoming phone addiction, and protecting your time and attention.

In addition, Kevin provides his insider take on a variety of other notable technology curiosities from Clubhouse to NFTs, the future of podcasting, and many other subjects that I know will pique your interest.

FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll587

YouTube: bit.ly/kevinroose587

Our most powerful trait is our innate humanness. My hope is that this exchange will serve as a reminder.

Peace + Plants,

Rich