Century of Plenty

Epizódy

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  Andrew McAfee on AI, Jobs, and ‘Permissionless Innovation’ 15.09.2026 1h 13min

  What if the biggest risk isn’t too much technological progress—but too little? In this episode of the Century of Plenty podcast, Chris Bradley and Marc Canal speak with MIT’s Andrew McAfee about technological progress, AI, inequality, and the prospects for continued growth. McAfee reflects on AI’s accelerated progress, makes the case for “permissionless innovation,” and explains why he believes rising prosperity can be decoupled from ever-growing resource use. They discuss: ◼ Why exponential technological progress is so difficult to predict and why McAfee believes efforts to steer innovations risk constraining their benefits. ◼ What the past 15 years have taught us about automation, jobs, and inequality, including why McAfee has become less concerned about mass technological unemployment. ◼ How technology, markets, public awareness, and effective government action can enable continued economic growth while reducing resource intensity and environmental impact. Chapters: [00:00:00] How far have we come?[00:09:34] Why we underestimate technological progress[00:12:47] Should we try to steer AI?[00:25:32] What technology means for jobs and inequality[00:46:25] Is AI breaking the first rung of the career ladder?[00:52:02] Can we get more from less?[01:05:05] Are we actually running out of resources?[01:07:17] The case for optimism Explore the book and research: https://acenturyofplenty.com/ Get your copy of  'A Century of Plenty' on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09oVyVx2 See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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  Ed Conway: Why we won't run out of materials 02.09.2026 1h 9min

  From tomatoes and copper to data centers and steel, the modern economy depends on a material world hidden in plain sight. In this episode of the Century of Plenty podcast, Sven Smit and Chris Bradley are joined by Ed Conway, economics and data editor at Sky News and author of Material World, to explore the materials, energy, infrastructure, and trade that underpin modern prosperity—and what it would take to extend it to everyone. They discuss: ◼ How the hidden material foundations of modern life—from fertilizer and steel to copper and semiconductors—make abundance possible, and why fears of simply “running out” of resources can miss the role of innovation, discovery, and productivity. ◼ Why achieving higher living standards around the world will require far more energy and physical infrastructure, and how abundant clean energy, intensive agriculture, and new approaches to manufacturing could reconcile development with climate goals. ◼ Why pessimism about the future persists despite centuries of progress—and how AI and a renewed focus on energy, infrastructure, and industry could strengthen the case for investing in abundance.   Chapters: [00:00:00] Why we take progress for granted[00:06:02] What a tomato reveals about the modern world[00:14:58] Are we really running out of stuff?[00:26:43] Why pessimism gets our attention[00:45:05] Why did we stop growing?[00:52:45] Can we make energy abundant again?[01:04:10] The hidden journey behind everything we buy   Explore the book and research: https://acenturyofplenty.com/ Get your copy of  'A Century of Plenty' on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09oVyVx2 See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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  Is it radical to believe in growth? 19.08.2026 1h 2min

  Plenty may be possible—but what would it take to make it probable? In this episode of the Century of Plenty podcast, Sven Smit, Chris Bradley, Nick Leung, and Marc Canal share reactions to their book from around the world and take on the hardest objections regarding demographics, climate change, energy, and AI. They discuss: ◼ How audiences from China to Africa to Europe accept that a world of plenty is possible, but there are real debates about execution. ◼ How collapsing fertility, rather than resource limits, may be the century’s defining challenge, and why growth and adaptation can address climate change even in an economy eight times larger than today’s. ◼ Why AI is better understood as a curve than as a fixed point, and how a shift from zero-sum to non-zero-sum thinking could turn plenty from possible to probable.   Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro(00:00:37) Is optimism different around the world?(00:04:36) What stands in the way of plenty?(00:09:29) The toughest questions: population, energy, nature & AI(00:15:22) The demographic cliff: are we running out of people?(00:25:50) Taking on runaway climate change(00:32:36) The race for abundant energy(00:35:39) Does prosperity destroy—or protect—nature?(00:48:39) Is AI different from every technology before it?(00:56:18) AI bubble or the beginning of an 8.5x economy? (00:59:39) A question of framing   Explore the book and research: https://acenturyofplenty.com/ Get your copy of  'A Century of Plenty' on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09oVyVx2 See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
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  Can every person live a plentiful life by 2100? 03.08.2026 1h 4min

  What would it take for everyone in the world to enjoy the living standards of Switzerland today by 2100? In this episode of the Century of Plenty podcast, Sven Smit, Chris Bradley, Nick Leung, and Marc Canal discuss the ideas behind their new book, A Century of Plenty: A story of progress for generations to come. They discuss: ◼ Why the past century’s sixfold increase in global prosperity provides reason for optimism about the future, and why today’s pessimism may overlook the lessons of history. ◼ How AI, energy, productivity, and innovation could enable billions more people to reach an “empowerment” standard of living while addressing climate change and resource constraints. ◼ Why growth and inclusion should go hand in hand, and how affordability, inequality, and a renewed willingness to build will shape the next century of progress.   Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:36) Imagining a world of plenty (00:03:54) Beliefs about growth: is it good, possible, and for me? (00:07:55) Measures of progress (00:16:20) How was progress achieved? (00:24:38) Was it worth it? (00:30:12) Inequality, affordability & the empowerment Line (00:40:09) The demographic drag and the multipolar world (00:43:52) An 8.5x economy: energy, materials & AI (01:01:03) Five shifts to get to plenty   Explore the book and research: https://acenturyofplenty.com  Get your copy of  'A Century of Plenty' on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09oVyVx2See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information