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As Citrini's AI report spooks investors, here's what experts say about 'doomsday porn'

While calling it a "fun read," American investor Marcelo P. Lima has said that the report has its share of flaws.

February 24, 2026 / 15:51 IST
Snapshot AI
  • Citrini Research AI study sparks fears of a dystopian future.
  • Experts call the report fear-mongering and flawed.
  • Many argue AI will create new jobs and desires, not just losses.

The viral Citrini Research scenario study has opened a Pandora's box. Deep anxieties about a future powered entirely by artificial intelligence have come to the surface, with some experts terming the report "doomsday porn." So, will 2028 turn the world into the dystopian society we've seen in sepia-tinted, murky movies? Is an AI apocalypse a reality? Well, the research paper almost suggests so. However, many AI futurists and tech experts have slammed the study as unnecessary fear-mongering.

"We are certain some of these scenarios won't materialise. We're equally certain that machine intelligence will continue to accelerate. The premium on human intelligence will narrow," the report says toward the end. While calling it a "fun read," American investor Marcelo P. Lima has said that the report has its share of flaws.

Referring to the "horse fallacy," Lima says, "The lump of labor fallacy assumes that humans have a fixed checklist of problems to solve. But every time technology checks an item off the list, we invent another desire. Human desires are infinite. Maybe if AI does all the work here on Earth, we'll terraform Mars, build O'Neill cylinders, and Dyson spheres. We'll certainly not sit idle, desiring nothing more.

ThemeWhat HappensWhy It Matters SystemicallyExperts' Stances
1. Intelligence Premium UnwindsHuman cognitive labor stops being scarce as AI becomes cheaper, better substitute for white-collar tasks.Economy, tax base, credit system built on scarce intelligence; wage income compresses, undermining demand foundation.Shenoy calls doomsday porn; Lima argues infinite human desires create endless new demand despite tech displacement.
2. Intelligence Displacement SpiralFirms replace workers with AI → margins improve → savings fund more AI → further displacement.Self-reinforcing loop accelerates unlike cyclical recessions; no natural brake as AI keeps improving.Lima rejects "horse fallacy"—humans invent new desires/jobs; Hockenmaier notes tech historically creates more work.
3. "Ghost GDP" & Demand ShockProductivity rises but income flows to capital owners, not labor; consumption weakens despite healthy GDP.U.S. 70% consumer-driven; displaced high earners cut spending, collapsing discretionary demand.Lima highlights deflation lowers living costs (40k buys what 120k did); capex stimulates via fabs/utilities jobs.
4. Intermediation CollapseAI agents eliminate frictions (inertia, opacity, habits), optimizing price and bypassing tolls.Industries like SaaS, payments, real estate, delivery face margin compression as agents route around intermediaries.Hockenmaier defends marketplace moats (liquidity/reliability > price); Lima says SaaS benefits from zero-code costs.
5. Financial System RepricingWhite-collar income loss hits mortgages, private credit, PE-backed SaaS, insurers.Credit built on stable high incomes; prime borrower decline triggers simultaneous repricing across sectors.Abrams agrees Citrini wrong overall but sees valid risks; all critique extremes while acknowledging AI disruption.

He is not alone. Capital Mind founder Deepak Shenoy has said, "Doomsday porn is addictive. The AI-based end of everything is the WWF of the world now - fun to watch but mostly fake. Maybe the money is in the show, not the story they tell you."

Then there are those such as Justin Abrams and Dan Hockenmaier who believe the report is simply wrong. "This piece shows a profound lack of understanding of how marketplaces work and why they are defensible. 'A competent developer could deploy a functional competitor in weeks, and dozens did, enticing drivers away from DoorDash and Uber Eats by passing 90-95% of the delivery fee through to the driver.' Anyone could have done that at any time in the last ten years. Why was no one able to? Because the hard part has nothing to do with building the app or attracting drivers. The hard part is building a liquid marketplace with all of the best supply and a massive series of optimisations and investments to drive down prices and delivery times while driving up reliability and quality," says Hockenmaier, Chief Strategy Officer at Faire.

Similarly, ace consultant Abrams feels, "I think the Citrini report is definitely wrong, and I could argue it ad nauseam. But the one thing I'll say is that it changed my mind about DoorDash being safe. I don't think a random company will come in and eat market share, but there's low friction for Toast to come in."

Surabhi Pandey
first published: Feb 24, 2026 03:38 pm

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