The Citrini Scenario

In this episode, Rebecca dives into the Citrini Scenario — a macro research report by Citrini Research and economist Alap Shah titled The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis — which examines the possibility of an AI-driven economic collapse. Rebecca leads a detailed breakdown of the report, explaining how the rapid rise of agentic AI is poised to automate a large portion of white-collar work within years, threatening to eliminate far more jobs than any previous technological revolution while creating comparatively few new ones. The hosts discuss the downstream economic risks — including a potential housing crisis worse than 2008 — as white-collar workers, who drive roughly half of U.S. consumer spending, could face widespread unemployment. Heather weighs in from a legal perspective on AI's current limitations, while Rebecca argues those limitations are temporary given AI's exponential rate of self-improvement. The episode blends research-driven analysis with candid personal reactions, framing the Citrini Scenario not as alarmism but as a serious economic warning worth understanding. Works Cited Citrini Research, and Alap Shah. “THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS.” Citriniresearch.com, Citrini Research, 22 Feb. 2026, www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic. Lichtenberg, Nick. “Citadel Securities Demolishes Viral AI Doomsday Essay, Arguing the Real “Global Intelligence Crisis” Is Ignorance of Macro Fundamentals.” Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026, fortune.com/2026/02/26/citadel-demolishes-viral-doomsday-ai-essay-citrini-macro-fundamentals-engels-pause/. Shah, Alap. “The Global Intelligence Crisis · Part Three.” Substack.com, Alap Shah, 25 Mar. 2026, substack.com/home/post/p-192091667. Accessed 18 May 2026. Substack. “The Global Intelligence Crisis.” Substack.com, 2025, substack.com/home/post/p-188812384.