Viral Doomsday Report Lays Bare Wall Street's Deep Anxiety About AI Future
Slashdot
by BeauHDFebruary 24, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
A recent 7,000-word report by Citrini Research has sparked significant market turmoil, causing a 822-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The report, framed as a hypothetical scenario set in June 2028, explores the potential economic fallout of AI advancements, particularly their impact on white-collar jobs and financial stability. The study suggests that AI could lead to widespread layoffs in knowledge-based industries, triggering a chain reaction of spending cuts and economic instability. This "doomsday" vision has sent shockwaves through Wall Street, with major tech stocks like IBM, DataDog, and DoorDash experiencing sharp declines—IBM's drop was its worst since 2000. The report also highlights concerns about the broader implications of AI on productivity growth and the potential for a global intelligence crisis.
The report argues that while AI could boost economic efficiency in the short term, it may ultimately undermine human intelligence as the primary driver of value in modern economies. By automating tasks traditionally requiring human expertise, AI could render white-collar roles obsolete, leading to mass unemployment and financial contagion across industries. This aligns with recent market trends, where tech stocks have faced volatility due to fears about AI-driven disruptions. The report specifically targets software firms, payment processors, and other sectors tied to white-collar productivity, suggesting they are interconnected in ways that could lead to widespread collapse.
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Originally published on Slashdot on 2/24/2026