What do Bill Thompson and Joe Rogan think AI will do to jobs and society?

Joe Rogan said he expects AI to eliminate many jobs and make the world unrecognizable within ten years at most, though live sports, music and comedy will survive because people want human connection. Bill Thompson agreed that AI will run large parts of the economy but predicted a large deflation: cheaper goods, far cheaper business start-ups, and a better life for people on low incomes. He expects people to tire of AI-made films and pay more for live theatre and handmade things. His best case is AI as a home utility on open-weight models and personal GPUs, with data never leaving the house.

• Thompson says starting a business today can cost $30,000 to $100,000 in red tape, which he thinks AI will remove.
• Rogan called Thompson's outlook a rose-coloured best case.
• Thompson says he sees no path to sentience for AI in its current form.

▸In their words

“In 10 years, the world's going to be unrecognizable.” Joe Rogan · at 2:48:54 — open in the transcript →

“a good output for AI is it becomes a water heater in your house.” Bill Thompson · at 2:53:48 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Joe Rogan Experience (2026-10-21). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode