All this is happening and many voices are saying many different things. Some people say that AI will bring prosperity to all. Some people say that this will break the current social and economic system. Now, one of the harshest warnings on AI comes from Imad Mostaq, co-founder of Stability AI and a well-known name in the tech industry. In a podcast, Imad says that we will start seeing unemployment increasing from next year due to job losses due to AI. He says that starting from 2026, job loss will accelerate in the years after that.

Imad, sounding almost like a conspiracy theorist, says that tech billionaires already know how AI will eliminate jobs. According to him, it could also incite social unrest and lead to the breakdown of existing systems governing societies and economies. This disruption could be so significant that tech billionaires are already preparing for it by building their bunkers.

In a podcast with Dr. Mariam Francois, Imad discussed the impact of AI and warned that humanity is on the verge of crossing a threshold where this technology will become not only useful, but economically superior to human workers. He says, “Next year is the year when AI models will not be good enough and then overnight they will become good enough. And then the jobs start to be lost and we don’t know where they end up.”

The Stability co-founder argues that any work that can be done “on the other side of the screen” could be replaced within the next two to three years, as AI agents become capable of handling long, complex tasks without fatigue, without errors, and at a fraction of the cost.

He estimates that the cost of running a digital employee could soon fall to less than $1,000 per year, suggesting that the price will continue to decline rapidly. And for companies weighing efficiency against payroll, the math becomes irresistible, which inevitably impacts the human workforce.

According to Mostack, the first people to feel this AI-led disruption will be graduates. “Youth unemployment will increase,” Mostak warned, adding that mid-level roles would soon be ushered in, creating a wave of displacement far more rapid than previous technological shifts.

Are billionaires already preparing for the consequences?

During the podcast, host Francois explains that while ordinary people may struggle, billionaires are preparing for the worst by building bunkers. According to Imad, there’s a reason why ultra-rich people have started planning.

“Yes, actually, that’s one of the reasons. Normally, that’s what they do. But I know a lot of AI CEOs have canceled all public appearances now. They think this will be the next wave of anti-AI sentiment next year.”

The sustainability co-founder argues that the upcoming “thousand-day window” is crucial. Without transparent, democratic governance of AI, they fear that society could slide toward inequality, unrest, and diminishing human agency, while isolated elites watch safely from behind reinforced steel doors.

Interestingly, talk of Silicon Valley owners building bunkers has intensified recently. A BBC investigation has revealed that Mark Zuckerberg is building a massive, fortified estate in Kauai, Hawaii, which reportedly includes a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker equipped with its own food and energy reserves. The project is spread over 1,400 acres, with tunnel-connected buildings, blast-resistant doors and a design more reminiscent of a self-contained survival fort than a holiday home.

While Zuckerberg insists this is simply a “fleece” and not a doomsday device, its scale and secrecy have raised questions. And he is not alone. Other tech billionaires have reportedly bought remote land, hired security consultants, and built bunkers capable of operating off-grid for months. Silicon Valley mega-lords, including Peter Thiel, who discovered the bunker in New Zealand, are investing in elaborate, luxury safe havens around the world. Even OpenAI boss Sam Altman has admitted that he has an underground cellar of what he calls a “doomsday planner”. A New Yorker report said Ataman has stored in his bunker “guns from the Israeli Defense Force, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks and a large piece of land in Big Sur where I can fly.”