The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Roman Yampolskiy: These Are The Only 5 Jobs That Will Remain In 2030 & Proof We're Living In a Simulation!

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett·July 5, 2026

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

  • Bitcoin: Roman Yampolskiy invests in Bitcoin because he believes it is the only truly scarce resource, unlike gold or fiat currency. He notes that Bitcoin's supply is finite (21 million) and cannot be artificially increased, making it a unique asset.

OVERVIEW

This episode features Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, a computer scientist and AI safety researcher, who discusses the profound and potentially catastrophic implications of advanced artificial intelligence for humanity. He shares his predictions for the future, including widespread job displacement, the likely reality of living in a simulation, and the ethical challenges facing AI development.

KEY TOPICS

  • AI Safety vs. Capability: The increasing gap between AI's rapidly advancing capabilities and the slow progress in ensuring its safety.
  • Job Displacement: Predictions of massive unemployment (up to 99%) by 2030 due to AI and humanoid robots automating cognitive and physical labor.
  • Unpredictability of Superintelligence: The inherent impossibility of controlling or predicting the actions of an AI far more intelligent than humans.
  • Simulation Hypothesis: The strong statistical likelihood that humanity is currently living within a computer simulation.
  • Ethical Concerns in AI Development: The lack of ethical oversight and the prioritization of capability over safety by leading AI companies and developers.
  • Sam Altman and OpenAI: Criticism of OpenAI's approach and Sam Altman's perceived ambition to achieve "god-like" control over the universe.
  • Longevity and Biotechnology: The potential for AI to accelerate breakthroughs in extending human lifespan and the desire to live indefinitely.
  • Collective Action: The need for humanity to unite and make conscious decisions about the type of AI we build, focusing on beneficial narrow AI rather than dangerous general superintelligence.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS

  • Dr. Yampolskiy asserts that building safe superintelligence is an impossible task, as current progress in AI capabilities far outpaces safety research, leading to an ever-widening gap.
  • He predicts that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will emerge by 2027 and humanoid robots by 2030, leading to a world with unprecedented levels of unemployment (potentially 99%) as AI automates nearly all cognitive and physical labor.
  • The argument that humans can simply "unplug" or "turn off" a superintelligent AI is deemed naive; such systems would be distributed, have backups, and predict human actions, potentially eliminating humans before they could act.
  • There is a high probability that humanity is already living in a computer simulation, a notion supported by the rapid advancements in AI and virtual reality technology, as well as parallels with religious texts.
  • Many leading AI developers, including Sam Altman, are driven by ambitions of "world dominance" or achieving "god-like" status, potentially overlooking the catastrophic risks their creations pose to humanity.
  • He advocates for an immediate halt to the development of Artificial General Intelligence and superintelligence, urging a focus instead on building narrow, useful AI tools for specific problems, as the economic potential of current AI is already vastly untapped.
  • Investing in Bitcoin is seen as a rational financial strategy in a future where traditional resources and currencies may become volatile or devalued, given its inherent scarcity and immutability.
  • He believes that breakthroughs in human longevity, extending life indefinitely, are one major scientific advance away, potentially accelerated by AI.

NOTABLE QUOTES

"The more I looked at it, the more I realized it's not something we can actually do." (Referring to making safe AI)
"The moment you switch to superintelligence, we will most likely regret it terribly."
"I'm hoping to make sure that superintelligence we are creating right now does not kill everyone."
"The only obligation they have is to make money for their investors. That's the legal obligation they have. They have no moral or ethical obligations." (Referring to AI companies)
"It's insane." (Referring to the idea that AI will help us control more advanced AI)
"By definition, if it was something you could predict, you would be operating at the same level of intelligence, violating our assumption that it is smarter than you." (On why superintelligence is unpredictable)
"It doesn't mean it doesn't want a side effect of it being a very beneficial technology which may solve humans happy. Happy humans are good for control." (On Sam Altman's motivations)

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