Surfing Through the AI Apocalypse with Jacob Ward

The Anxious Achiever

Jun 23, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 331

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Episode description

How do you stay grounded when technology is changing work faster than any of us can keep up with? In this episode, I sit down with journalist and CNN contributor Jacob Ward to talk about the emotional and psychological impact of living and working alongside increasingly powerful technology. Jacob shares why he believes the bigger threat isn’t just automation, but the way these systems shape your behavior, attention, and relationships at work. We talk about loneliness, agency, management, the pressure to keep producing, and what happens when more of our thinking gets handed over to machines. Get ready to rethink productivity, management, and the value of human judgment.

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In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 What is AI doing to your mind and mood?

04:45 Why technology is really a story about human behavior.

09:00 How “fast thinking” makes us easier to manipulate.

13:00 What an AI co-parenting tool reveals about convenience, conflict, and control.

15:15 Can technology really support mental health without replacing human care?

17:45 Why the systems built to help us often prioritize engagement instead.

20:00 What a more “human-free” workplace could mean for all of us.

26:45 The human skills at work that are most at risk of disappearing.

30:00 How to deal with the helplessness so many people feel about the future of work.

36:00 The Pope’s warning about AI, dignity, and human value.

43:30 Why trust matters so much when institutions are under pressure.

47:45 How to decide when to use AI and when to resist it.

50:00 Why the pressure to produce more can quietly trap high achievers.

54:30 How do you stay relevant without giving up your standards?

Resources + Links

Visit Jacob Ward’s website HERE

Get a copy of Jacob’s book, The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back HERE