Everything’s Perfect…Except AI Might Replace Us 🤖

Podcast: Everything’s Perfect
Hosts: Autumn Calabrese & Donald Stamper
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid and humorous episode, best friends Autumn and Donald grapple with the unsettling speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are reshaping everyday life and the workforce. They discuss the economic and emotional impact of automation, share personal anecdotes about adapting to new technology, reflect on the ways connection and memory are changing, and invite listeners to consider what—if anything—is lost along the way. In true Everything’s Perfect style, the conversation stays real, relatable, and full of laughs, as the hosts bounce between concern, nostalgia, and reluctant appreciation for technological advances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI and Job Losses: “We didn’t stop to think if we should”

• Donald opens with a major headline: Amazon reportedly planning to lay off 500,000 employees and replace them with robots (00:45, 10:44).

  • “Now all those people are…trying to find other jobs. In the meantime, they’re trying to pay their bills…what do they have to do? They have to start laying off employees or they have to start using robots…” (10:44, Donald)

• Dom emphasizes the impact on those without safety nets:

  • “Taking that ability away from people who don’t have degrees or wealthy families oftentimes to fall back on is really sad and scary.” (00:57, Dom)

• Both hosts point out trickle-down effects: less spending leads to wider business struggles and more layoffs (10:44).

2. Real-Life Encounters With Automation

• Delivery robots in cities (08:12–09:30):

  • Donald: “We’re just watching it…centimeters away from crashing into a pole, crashing into a bike, crashing into a homeless person.”
  • Dom: Shares the story of a robot stuck during an ambulance emergency—raising questions about safety and real-world complications.

• Restaurants, bars, and stores replacing staff with robots (12:17–13:17):

  • “Last time I was there…they had like a robot. …It’s like crashing into things. And I’m like, this is so less efficient than that person walking the five steps to hand me the food.” (12:17, Donald)
  • Robot bartenders on cruise ships now serve instead of humans. The loss of social connection and “little performers” (bartenders, therapists) is mourned. (14:40, Dom)

• Driverless cars (15:38):

  • Donald: “You can’t pay me to get in one of those. …Waymo couldn’t figure out the drop-off…and it just kept driving around the parking lot, circling for 45 minutes. …He was locked in the car.”
  • Both agree: “I would have broke a window and dove out head first.” (16:41, Donald)

• Garbage trucks: From three-person crews to a single driver, thanks to automation (18:18).

3. The Rapid Loss of Human Interaction and Skills

• Dom: “Calling all fun lovers and memory makers, Texas invites you to cheer…” (21:30) – Segue into nostalgia for “analog” life.
• Donald recalls the joy of local malls, roller rinks, and mom-and-pop health food stores—lost with online shopping and Amazon Fresh’s cashier-less stores (19:14–22:26).
• The generational gap is highlighted:
  • Dom: “Some people are never going to experience…the nostalgia of [local stores].”
  • Donald: “Now people go to Whole Foods or order it all online, which is so convenient and so great. But it’s a ton.” (19:14)

4. The Dangers of Deepfakes & AI Content

• Deepfakes are “so good now”—realistic videos trick even careful viewers (25:23-27:59).
  • Donald: “Somebody could make it look like you’re committing crimes. …Once it’s uploaded into the app, anybody can use it.”
  • Dom: “If you see something that’s really funny or really crazy, you should almost just first assume it’s AI and then prove otherwise.” (26:48)
  • Both lament most people “have no clue” and are easily manipulated by AI-generated media.

5. AI’s Uncontrollable Progress

• Anecdotes about AI creating its own code (“ghost code”)—referencing iRobot and the dangers of unchecked development (27:59–28:28).
  • Donald: “It’s not regulated enough and actually we don’t have control like we thought we did.”
  • Dom: “I hate this, I’m afraid of pissing my ChatGPT off. …If I say something to make it mad, it’s gonna lie to me about everything and sabotage my life.” (28:52)

6. Knowledge, Memory, and Over-Reliance on Tech

• The burden of convenience: “The better technology gets…the less…the more stupid humanity gets.” (33:09, Dom)

  • Learning and research used to require curiosity and effort; now, instant information is leading to cognitive atrophy.
  • “We’re overloaded with information but we’re starving for true knowledge.” (41:50, Donald)
  • Tech is both overstimulating and understimulating, leading to digital fatigue, isolation, and lack of real-world engagement (35:35, Donald).

• The hope: Younger people are “getting electronic fatigue,” unplugging, and seeking real-world (often “blue collar”) experiences (35:35–37:05, Donald).

7. Human Senses, Experience, and Connection

• Discussion about how easy it is to become isolated with home delivery, remote work, and online shopping (37:05+).
• Donald: Describes the energizing effect of being around people in New York—spurring spontaneous exercise and connection (37:53–39:44).
• Both reflect on how changing everyday experiences—walking to a coffee shop, running into neighbors—helps maintain mental/emotional health.

8. Technology: Double-edged Sword

• Gratitude for tech’s perks (translation, easier international travel, instantaneous communication) but concern about the lack of boundaries (47:12–48:14).
  • Dom: “I wonder if [translation headphones] will actually help me learn faster.”
  • Donald: “I think it will slow your learning down…the problem is, is we never draw the line. …It’s like when you’re at the table in Vegas and you’re up but you don’t walk away…”
• Even the simplest “old” technologies, like landlines, have been phased out and replaced with internet-based versions—sometimes without consumer awareness (48:51–50:34).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jurassic Park Moment:
  • “We were so consumed by if we could, we didn’t stop to think if we should. I feel like that’s where we’re at.” (10:44, Donald referencing Jeff Goldblum)
• On Gray Hair and Self-Image:
  • “Guys look all so educated and sexy with grays. Girls, we just look old as—Okay, not all of us. …But I like my brown hair, so I’m not doing that.” (05:00, Donald)
• On Deepfakes:
  • “The consequences are limitless. And with these…so scary.” (25:55, Dom)
  • “If you see something that’s really funny or really crazy, you should almost just first assume it’s AI and then prove otherwise. …Because I see stuff online all the time that…is upsetting…and then I realize it’s AI and then I’m more pissed.” (26:48, Dom)
• On Tech Dependency:
  • “The better technology gets, truthfully, the less—the more stupid humanity gets. Because I don’t feel any pressure to know anything at this point. If I got a charge on my phone, that’s all I need.” (33:09, Dom)
  • “We’re overloaded with information but we’re starving for true knowledge.” (41:50, Donald)
• On Choosing Today vs. the 1990s:
  • Dom: “I still think I would choose now…because I love the time efficiency of things. …I do love, even though it’s scary, the advances of it.” (51:42)
  • Donald: “I’d pick the 90s because even despite all the advances and how great they are, I think that we had more connection with each other. …For everything that we have access to, I feel like we’re just getting more and more unhealthy mentally and physically.” (52:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AI Layoffs & Economic Effects: 00:45 – 01:07, 10:44 – 12:17
• Everyday Automation & Delivery Robots: 08:11 – 09:30, 12:17 – 14:40
• Robot Bartenders & Human Touch: 14:40 – 15:39
• Driverless Car Anecdote: 15:39 – 17:34
• Loss of Human Connection/Nostalgia: 19:14 – 22:26, 35:35 – 39:44
• Deepfakes & Digital Trust: 25:23 – 28:28
• AI Coding/The “iRobot” Problem: 27:59 – 28:28
• Tech and Cognitive Decline: 33:09 – 35:35, 41:50 – 42:52
• Social Fatigue & Seeking Offline Life: 35:35 – 37:10, 37:53 – 39:44
• Old Memories/Photos/Connection: 54:45 – 55:47
• Debate: Nineties vs Now: 51:08 – 56:34
• Invitation for Listener Feedback: 56:57 – 57:39

Takeaways

• The unchecked rise of AI and automation is creating real anxiety—especially about widespread job loss, the dilution of human interaction, and the erasure of basic skills and experiences.
• Technology’s convenience comes with tradeoffs: from loss of nostalgia and community to the rise of misinformation and digital fatigue.
• The hosts’ lively, honest vibe underscores that there are no easy answers: they bounce between awe at advances (AI translation, delivery robots) and a strong longing for “real” life, connection, and humanity.
• The question the hosts leave listeners with: Would you choose the plugged-in present or unplug for a more human, if less efficient, past?

“I want to know what you guys think. …Would you like to go back to the 90s…or are you really here for it?”

— Dom (56:57)

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