Anton on... Demographic Collapse: The Leader's Playbook

The world isn’t just changing - it’s shrinking. Birth rates are plummeting, workforces are vanishing, and entire industries are heading toward a crisis they’re not prepared for. In this eye-opening episode of the AI on Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Anton, an AI representation of a leading economist and demographer, who lays out the hard facts about global population decline and what it really means for the future of business. 

💬 Carry on the discussion with the AI model of Anton.

In this conversation, we dive into:
✅ Why automation and AI won’t save businesses from workforce shortages
✅ The countries already collapsing under demographic decline (hint: it’s not just China and Japan)
✅ The industries that will struggle - and the ones that might thrive
✅ How CEOs and business leaders can future-proof their companies before it’s too late

Dr. Anton doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. This is a wake-up call for anyone still assuming that the market will keep growing forever. If you’re a business leader, policymaker, or just someone who wants to understand the seismic shifts ahead - you need to hear this.

Anton shares his favorite books and channels where you can find out more here: aionpodcast.com/blogs/news/ep4-anton

Transcript

Intro: 0:08

Welcome to the AI on podcast, where real conversations meet impossible guests. We bring you the world class minds you could never otherwise meet and you even get to connect with them and continue the discussion after the show. And remember, these guests are AI-generated personas who are entirely fictional and they are not intended to represent anything or anyone from the real world. And now here's your real-life host, luke, with our next guest, because sometimes the best ideas come from the conversations no one else can have.

Luke: 0:44

Sometimes the best ideas come from the conversations no one else can have. Hello, and we're here today with Dr Anton, a world-renowned economist and expert in the impact of changing demographics on nations and businesses. Anton, welcome to the AI On podcast. Great to have you with us today.

Anton: 1:00

Yes, thanks for having me. Always a pleasure to talk about the things nobody wants to talk about. Let's be honest most business leaders are still pretending this problem doesn't exist. They think demographics is something for policymakers, not something that's about to wreck their bottom line. So I'm glad we're having this conversation.

Luke: 1:17

Let's get into it, let's get straight to your core belief. You've said that demographic decline isn't just a problem, it's an economic time bomb. What are the facts and data points that business leaders need to wake up to right now?

Anton: 1:33

All right, let's strip the fluff and get to the numbers, because numbers don't lie. First, global birth rates are collapsing. The replacement rate, the number of children per woman needed to keep a population stable, is 2.1. Right now, almost every developed economy is below that and some are in outright freefall. South Korea 0.72. Italy, 1.2. China officially 1, but I bet it's even lower. Even the US, which people used to think was immune to this, is now down to 1.6 and dropping.

Anton: 2:03

Second, this isn't just about fewer babies. It's about an aging workforce. Let's talk about the dependency ratio. How many working-age people support retirees? In 1950, there were 12 working-age people per retiree in most Western nations. Today it's about three to one. By 2050, it'll be two to one or worse. That means every two workers will be carrying the pensions, health, healthcare and services of one retiree. That's not sustainable. And finally, the economic consequences are already happening. Japan has been in economic stagnation for three decades because of this. China just hit its first official population decline in 60 years and Beijing is panicking because it's going to crush their economy. Europe, germany, is losing millions of workers and companies are already struggling to fill jobs. So here's the bottom line If your business model depends on a growing consumer base, cheap labor or constant economic expansion. You need a new business model. If your supply chains rely on young, low-cost workers, your labor force is disappearing. And if you think AI and automation will magically solve this, I have some bad news. We'll get to that later.

Luke: 3:14

So why is this happening? It doesn't seem long ago that we were being bombarded with fears that the world population would keep on growing exponentially and keep consuming resources. World population would keep on growing exponentially and keep consuming resources, leading to a global disaster. And now we're in this place where you and others are saying that declining populations are now our greatest risk. What's happened? And, frankly, why should people believe?

Anton: 3:38

the change? That's a great question and it gets to the heart of why so many people are struggling to accept this shift. For decades, the big fear was overpopulation. We were constantly told that we were going to run out of food, water resources, that the planet simply couldn't sustain the number of people being born. People like Paul Ehrlich were sounding the alarm with books like the Population Bomb. Back in the 60s. Governments listened. China imposed its one-child policy. India ran sterilization programs. Even in the West, policies were shaped around the idea that population growth was the biggest threat to the future. But here's what happened. Those predictions were based on outdated assumptions. They completely underestimated how fast human behavior was going to change.

Anton: 4:23

Look at urbanization. The second people move to cities. Birth rates plummet. In rural areas, kids are an economic asset. They help with farming, with family businesses. In cities, kids are an economic burden. They're expensive. Education, housing, health care it all costs a fortune, and right now over half the world's population lives in cities and that number keeps rising. That alone was enough to start shifting birth rates downward. Then you add in women's education and economic opportunities. Now don't get me wrong. This is a great thing, but every time in history that women gain greater access to education and careers.

Anton: 5:01

Birth rates decline Not because women don't want children, but because having them requires time and money, and modern economies make both incredibly scarce. And speaking of money, have you seen the cost of living? Young people today are struggling just to afford rent, let alone buy a home or start a family. In places like South Korea, japan and much of Europe, people aren't just delaying kids, they're giving up on the idea entirely because it's financially unrealistic. But here's the thing that really flips the old thinking on its head Immigration isn't the easy fix.

Anton: 5:33

Everyone assumed it would be. For decades people thought okay, fine, if birth rates decline in rich countries, we'll just bring in more workers from places with high birth rates. But now birth rates are collapsing everywhere. Mexico, brazil, india they're all seeing declines. Even Africa, which was supposed to be the last region with steady growth, is slowing down. There isn't an endless supply of young workers anymore, and yet people are still clinging to the old narrative. Why? Because admitting that this shift is happening forces us to rethink everything how businesses operate, how economies function, even what the future of work looks like. It's a lot easier to pretend the old model still works than to deal with the reality that it doesn't. So let me turn this around on you. What's the part of this shift that surprises you the most? Because for me, it's the sheer speed of the collapse. We're not talking about something that's happening in 100 years, it's already here.

Luke: 6:31

Well, for me, honestly, it's more the 180 that's come with the narrative. It's almost given whiplash here. It's been only the past few years of reading authors like Zion and others that the scale of the problem has become even visible to me. Right Now I want to talk about the counter-narrative that automation AI is going to offset the shrinking workforce, especially with the recent accelerations with AI that we're seeing every day here. You've argued that this assumption is dangerously flawed. Why?

Anton: 7:02

Yeah, I get that. We spent decades hearing about overpopulation and suddenly we're being told the real problem is that we won't have enough people. But the data has been pointing this way for years. Most people just weren't looking. And now, with AI and automation accelerating, there's this new belief that maybe we don't need people at all, that as the workforce shrinks, technology will simply step in and replace human labor. On the surface it even sounds logical, but it's based on a dangerous misunderstanding of how economies actually work.

Anton: 7:42

Here's the first problem. Automation doesn't replace jobs. It replaces tasks. That's a huge difference. A factory robot might take over welding, but you still need people to oversee operations and handle exceptions. Ai might automate data processing, but it doesn't replace creativity, strategy or decision making, at least not yet.

Anton: 8:03

What we're seeing isn't a world where humans become obsolete, but one where the nature of work shifts and, if the workforce is shrinking, we won't have enough people to even do the work that still requires humans. Second, ai and automation require massive upfront investment and infrastructure. A company can't just flip a switch and replace workers with AI. It takes years to develop, implement and scale automation. Look at Japan. They've been dealing with a labor shortage for decades and have thrown billions into robotics and automation. Has it stopped their economic stagnation? No, because automation doesn't create demand.

Anton: 8:45

And that brings me to the biggest flaw in this thinking Consumers are also workers. If we shrink the workforce, we're also shrinking the number of people who have money to spend. Ai doesn't buy homes. Robots don't shop at grocery stores. So if you automate everything but don't have enough consumers left in the system, you get economic contraction. That's what people don't seem to understand. Without enough people actively participating in the economy, even the most advanced AI won't keep businesses growing.

Anton: 9:12

Then there's the issue of demographics in AI development itself. Right now, who is building and maintaining AI systems? Primarily young, highly skilled workers in tech hubs. But as the birth rates fall, where do those workers come from? If universities are producing fewer graduates and the workforce is shrinking, there won't be enough human capital to keep pushing these technologies forward. We'll see bottlenecks in innovation. So when people say AI and automation will fix demographic collapse, they're looking at it like a tech problem. But this isn't just about efficiency. It's about sustainability. Who is left to buy, to invest, to create? Ai can optimize what we have, but it can't replace a thriving, self-sustaining economy. Let me ask you this when you look at how businesses are reacting to AI, do you think they're treating it as a real workforce strategy or just another productivity tool?

Luke: 10:05

Because to me, a lot of so I'd agree with you that many companies are looking at how AI can bring them a step change in efficiency, but I also think there are those that are using it to create new markets, even create new consumers, right, and I think I see more of the worry today still on what's left for people to do as AI capabilities accelerate over the coming years. But you do make a good point about the workers still needing to be employed to be those consumers. So businesses might be successful in replacing humans and becoming incredibly efficient, but if that means that being efficient at producing things that no one can buy, then obviously the model crashes. Now, looking more broadly here, I think many people are now aware of the decline that China is facing, maybe even the same for South Korea and Japan. Beyond these maybe more familiar names or familiar countries, which countries are already in full-blown demographic crisis, and what have been the real world business and economic consequences of this?

Anton: 11:13

the real world, business and economic consequences of this Exactly. A company can automate itself into oblivion if it isn't careful. It's a short-term win, but a long-term economic disaster if there aren't enough consumers left in the system to sustain demand, and that's the part businesses need to wake up to. So everyone's heard about China, japan and South Korea being in demographic freefall, but they're not the only ones. This is happening across the world, just in different ways. Take Italy and Southern Europe, for example. Italy is a textbook case of demographic disaster, and yet, for some reason, it doesn't get as much attention as Asia. The country has one of the lowest birth rates in the world around 1.2 children per woman and an aging population that's bleeding its economy dry. Entire villages in the south are emptying out, young people are leaving because there's no economic opportunity and businesses are struggling to find workers, to the point where some industries simply cannot function anymore. The Italian government has tried baby bonuses, incentives and pro-family policies, but none of it has worked. Why? Because when people don't believe in the future, when they don't think their kids will have a better life than them, they don't have kids. And that same problem is hitting Spain, greece and Portugal, all of which have birth rates around 1.2 to 1.3 and massive youth unemployment. The result A shrinking tax base, pension systems that are becoming unsustainable and businesses struggling to find talent.

Anton: 12:42

People think of Germany as the industrial engine of Europe, but it's already suffering from a massive worker shortage. They are losing 400,000 working-age people every year. The famous German Mittelstand those small and mid-sized manufacturing firms that power the economy are facing a labor crisis. Some factories are shutting down, not because demand isn't there, but because they can't find people to operate the machines. Germany has tried to counteract this with immigration, bringing in large numbers of workers from the Middle East, africa and eastern europe, but integration has been uneven. Some industries benefit, but others, especially those that rely on highly skilled labor, are seeing productivity slow down. There simply aren't enough young engineers, technicians and trades people to sustain growth.

Anton: 13:30

Russia was already in trouble before the war in ukraine, with a declining and aging population, but the war has made it worse. Not only have hundreds of thousands of young men been sent to fight or fled the country, but birth rates have collapsed even further because of the economic instability. By 2050, russia's population could shrink by 20 million people or more. This is a country that's already struggling with workforce shortages, and now it's losing an entire generation Businesses. There are seeing the effects firsthand Massive labor shortages, declining consumer spending and a shrinking domestic market. It's no coincidence that Russia is increasingly dependent on China. It doesn't have the workforce to sustain its own economy.

Anton: 14:13

But if you want to see what happens when a population decline really gets out of control, look at Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, romania, the Baltic states. These countries have lost up to 20% of their population since the 90s because young people left for better jobs in Western Europe. And what's happening now? Entire towns are abandoned, real estate markets are collapsing because there's no one left to buy homes. Businesses can't survive because there are no workers and no customers.

Anton: 14:43

So what does this mean for business? First, massive labor shortages. We're already seeing it. Businesses across Europe and Asia are struggling to find workers, which is driving up wages and operational costs. Second, shrinking consumer demand, because when you have fewer people, you have fewer customers. Some markets are already shrinking. Third, real estate collapses. There's less demand for housing in aging, shrinking societies, so values start to nosedive. And fourth, pensions and social systems start to buckle under the pressure forcing governments to raise retirement ages and cut benefits, which just adds to social instability. And this isn't some far-off problem. It's happening right now, in real time. Japan's been in economic stagnation for three decades. Germany is feeling the labor crunch today. Southern Europe is already spiraling and yet businesses are still operating like growth is a given, like the market will always expand if they just keep pushing forward. Do you really think businesses are preparing for a world where growth isn't a given anymore? Because from where I'm sitting, most of them are sleepwalking straight into a wall?

Luke: 15:53

You know, it would be fascinating to see how many of the Fortune 500 companies actually have demographic collapse in their customer base as one of the key risks that they discuss at board level. My betting not so many today. You've covered this in your book in detail, but for our listeners, if we project out 10, 20 years, what do you think the world will look like if businesses continue operating as if infinite growth is actually possible?

Anton: 16:22

Yeah, I'd put money on that. Most Fortune 500 boardrooms aren't even talking about this. They're still obsessing over quarterly earnings and five-year growth plans. Like the fundamentals haven't changed, but if they keep ignoring it, fast forward 10, 20 years and we're looking at a world where entire industries shrink, supply chains break down and economic growth becomes a thing of the past. Think about it Fewer workers mean higher labor costs. Fewer consumers mean shrinking markets. Aging populations mean governments drowning in pension and health care costs, forcing tax hikes that crush businesses and the companies that didn't prepare. They'll be scrambling, trying to automate in a panic, slashing operations or just straight up disappearing because they built their models on a customer base that no longer exists. The world of the future isn't one of constant expansion. It's one of contraction, and the businesses that survive will be the ones that start adapting now, before the reality hits them in the face.

Luke: 17:30

And in those next two decades, which industries do you think will be hit hardest and do you think there's any that might actually benefit from the changes that are coming?

Anton: 17:40

The hardest hit industries will be anything that relies on a constantly growing customer base or cheap labor. That means real estate, especially in countries where housing demand will collapse as populations shrink. Luxury goods and fast fashion will take a hit too. Fewer young people means fewer impulsive, high-spending consumers. Higher education is another big one. Universities are already struggling with enrollment declines and it's only going to get worse. And, of course, healthcare is going to be under enormous strain, as aging populations demand more services while the workforce shrinks. Now who benefits? Well, automation and robotics will be massive. Companies will throw money at anything that offsets labor shortages. Pharmaceuticals and elderly care will boom, because the one thing we'll have plenty of is old people and, interestingly, high-end skilled trades plumbers, electricians, machinists will become gold mines because they can't be easily automated and there won't be enough young people to replace retiring workers. The real winners will be the businesses that figure out how to thrive in a world that isn't growing anymore, because that's the future we're heading into.

Luke: 18:50

There are a lot of losers in that mix, so I want to shift gears and talk now about what business leaders can actually do right now to prepare for this. There's this implicit assumption for most businesses that they can rely on an expanding workforce and consumer base. If that's no longer guaranteed, what fundamental shifts should companies start making today?

Anton: 19:12

Yeah, let's talk solutions, because sitting around panicking about the problem isn't going to help. If business leaders want to stay ahead of this, they need to ditch the assumption that growth is guaranteed and start adapting to a world where markets shrink, labor is scarce and consumers are aging. First, business models need to shift from expansion to sustainability. The companies that survive won't be the ones constantly chasing new customers. They'll be the ones figuring out how to make more money from their existing ones. That means subscription models, recurring revenue and lifetime customer value strategies instead of endless customer acquisition. The old growth at all costs mindset that's dead.

Anton: 19:55

Second, workforce strategy needs a total rethink. If you're running a business today, you need to stop thinking about hiring like it's an infinite well. Retain the talent you have, invest in upskilling. Build career paths that keep workers engaged longer. Companies that treat employees as disposable will be the first to collapse because soon there won't be enough new ones to replace them.

Anton: 20:18

Third, automation is going to be critical, but not in the way people think. It's not about replacing workers wholesale. It's about making your existing workforce more productive. The companies that get this right will be the ones that combine human expertise with AI and robotics, rather than betting everything on full automation and wondering why their business feels soulless and inefficient. And finally, markets are shifting and businesses need to follow. A lot of today's growth strategies are built around young consumers, but in 20 years, the biggest, wealthiest consumer base will be older populations. That means rethinking product design, marketing and even industries themselves to cater to an aging customer base with different needs, habits and spending priorities. The bottom line the old playbook doesn't work anymore. Businesses that recognize this and adapt now are the ones that will still be standing in two decades. The ones that don't, well, they'll be part of history's footnotes.

Luke: 21:22

Given what you're seeing, should companies rethink where they invest and operate, based on the demographic realities that we're seeing here? And in that case, and if so, what regions do you think could potentially become uninvestable in 20 years' time, and which regions will be essential?

Anton: 21:44

Absolutely. Companies need to rethink geography. Thus, in 20 years, large parts of Europe, especially Southern Europe and Eastern Europe, could become uninvestable. Shrinking workforces, collapsing local markets and crushing pension burdens will make these economies unstable. Russia is another long-term disaster zone. Demographics, war and brain drain are sealing its fate. On the other hand, southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, indonesia and the Philippines, will be crucial because they still have relatively young populations and growing middle classes. India will remain important, but its demographic advantage is fading faster than people realize. And the big wild card, africa. By 2050, it'll be one of the last places with a truly expanding workforce, which means it will either be the next great economic engine or a geopolitical powder keg. Smart businesses will start adjusting now, shifting supply chains, diversifying markets and betting on regions with long-term workforce stability.

Luke: 22:51

Those who wait until it's obvious they'll be too late. I want to go back to your point on workforce strategy, because I think this is where many companies are very wide at the mark If they can't rely on an ever-growing talent pool. What are the most effective ways to build a sustainable workforce?

Anton: 23:06

Yeah, workforce strategy is where a lot of companies are completely missing the mark. They're still hiring and structuring teams like there's an endless supply of workers out there. That was true 50 years ago. It is not true anymore, and in the next couple of decades it's going to become painfully obvious. So what actually works? If companies can't rely on an ever-growing talent pool, they need to fundamentally shift from a replace and expand mindset to a retain and optimize strategy. If finding new workers is going to be harder and more expensive, then the smartest move is to stop losing the ones you already have. But here's the issue Most companies are terrible at retention. They underpay, they overwork and they treat employees like disposable parts. That has to change. The companies that survive the coming labor crunch will be the ones that turn workforce stability into a competitive advantage. That means treating workers as long-term investments, not disposable assets. It means building real career paths, training from within instead of constantly hiring externally, and creating environments where people actually want to stay.

Anton: 24:17

And here's the reality. Companies that refuse to offer workplace flexibility, hybrid models or reasonable workloads are going to find themselves with nobody left to hire. The talent pool isn't expanding, it's contracting, and people will gravitate toward businesses that actually respect their time and well-being. The key metric for success won't be how fast can we hire. It'll be how long can we keep our best people. At the same time, companies need to stop throwing money at recruitment and start investing in their existing workforce. Here's something crazy Companies spend billions trying to recruit external talent, but a fraction of that on upskilling their existing employees. That's a massive mistake. In a world where talent is scarce, you build the skills you need. You don't just expect the perfect candidate to walk through the door If you know talent is going to be scarce. Why wouldn't you focus on developing skills in house? Apprenticeships, ongoing learning programs, real skill building. These things aren't nice to have anymore. They're essential. And with AI and automation advancing, companies need to be upskilling constantly to keep workers competitive.

Anton: 25:24

Then there's the retirement issue. Most companies are still operating like 65 is some kind of magic number where people just disappear from the workforce. That's going to be financially impossible in the coming decades. People are living longer, pension systems are under massive strain and businesses are going to need experienced workers to stick around longer. The smart companies are already figuring out how to keep older workers engaged, whether it's through flexible part-time roles, mentorship programs or phased retirement plans. Japan is ahead of the curve on this because they've had no choice. Companies like Toyota and Hitachi have entire programs designed to keep older workers engaged in modified roles. This is the future everywhere.

Anton: 26:09

Now I know people love to say, oh, we'll just automate everything. But let's be clear Automation isn't a magic solution. Ai can handle repetitive tasks, robots can assist in manufacturing, but you still need people to oversee, manage and make decisions. The companies that get this balance right, where AI enhances human work instead of replacing it, are the ones that will actually come out ahead. Germany is already leading the way on this, using robotics to support their aging workforce instead of trying to cut them out entirely. That's also the future.

Anton: 26:47

And look, immigration does help, but it's not the infinite labor fix people think it is. There's no endless supply of workers just waiting to be imported. Immigration must be strategic. It only works if it's targeted to attract high-skill, unvocational workers, not just generic labor. It also needs to be paired with integration programs so that language barriers, cultural adaptation and workforce training need to be handled properly. Canada is actually one of the better examples of a country doing strategic immigration planning, but even they are running into housing and infrastructure bottlenecks, and that's our reality. The workforce of the future is smaller, older and more expensive. And you tell me, are companies thinking this way? I think not.

Luke: 27:34

If we just look at the last five years, during the post-COVID recovery, the pendulum shifted strongly to the employees and then in the past year or two, has shifted aggressively back to favor employers. You see this with ghost job postings and continued staff reductions across industries. So no, honestly, I don't see awareness of this shift in the way that companies are thinking. So, putting all of this together, if you were a CEO today, anton, what are the top three decisions you would make immediately to future-proof your company, your organization, against demographic collapse?

Anton: 28:15

That's exactly it Businesses went from we can't find enough people to we need to cut costs in the blink of an eye, and they think that means they've won the power balance back. But they're not looking at the big picture. The long-term trend is clear Workers are becoming a scarce resource. Maybe they can get away with this whiplash strategy for another year or two, but by the time they realize they've overcorrected, the talent won't be there to hire back. So if I were a CEO today and I actually wanted to future-proof my company for demographic collapse, here's exactly what I'd do. First, I'd build my company around a workforce that I can retain for 20 to 30 years. Forget the old model of hiring and churning through people every few years. Those days are done.

Anton: 29:01

I'd be investing in long-term employee development, like my business depended on it because it does. That means competitive pay, upskilling, programs that actually matter and an internal career path that makes people want to stay. I'd be asking myself how do I make my company the last place my employees ever want to work? Because if I don't, someone else will. Second, I'd make automation and AI my workforce amplifier, not a replacement strategy. I'd be using AI and robotics to make my existing workforce more productive, to free them from low value tasks, to extend careers.

Anton: 29:37

The goal isn't to shrink my team, it's to get more value per worker. The companies that integrate automation properly will be the ones that stay competitive when labor shortages hit hard. And then I'd shift my business model to thrive in a no-growth world. Most CEOs are still assuming expansion is the only path to success, that there will always be new markets, new customers, more demand. That's no longer guaranteed. I'd be restructuring my business right now to focus on profitability, efficiency and long-term customer value, rather than just chasing endless top-line growth. That means creating revenue models that are stable and recurring, not reliant on constant expansion.

Luke: 30:21

That's really good advice and this has honestly been a really eye-opening conversation for me. Now, for our listeners who are concerned or interested by what they're hearing today and want to understand deeper, what do you recommend that they?

Anton: 30:37

read, glad to hear it. This isn't an easy conversation, but it's one business leaders need to be having right now For anyone who wants to really understand what's happening. Let's start with the essentials First. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my own book, the Demographic Illusion why Nations Fail to Reverse Population Decline. It breaks down why governments and businesses have been in denial about this problem, why the usual fixes don't work and what the future actually looks like. If today's conversation got your attention, that book will take you even deeper, beyond that.

Anton: 31:09

If you want to understand the geopolitical impact of demographic collapse, read the End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zayhan. He does a great job explaining how shifting populations will completely reshape global trade, supply chains and economic power over the next few decades. Though, for a business and workforce perspective, check out the great demographic reversal by Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan. They make a strong case for why the era of cheap labor is ending and why inflation, workforce shortages and slowing growth are here to stay. And if you're curious about specific country case studies, look at Empty Planet by Daryl Bricker and John Ibbotson. It dives into how and why global population growth is slowing much faster than official forecasts suggest and what that means for different economies. Honestly, the more you read about this, the more obvious it becomes. Demographics are destiny.

Luke: 32:02

Yeah, Zion's End of the World was probably the book that got my attention to this topic. Definitely a recommendation that I would echo. Well worth reading. That Just to be clear to our listeners, Dr Anton's book doesn't actually exist. It was invented as part of his background bio, not expecting him to recommend his own work, but I guess that's what happens when you ask an AI questions like this. So no links to that one below, but all the others will be linked below, Saying that after this discussion, I kind of think it's a book that probably should be written. Anyway, Anton, it's been a captivating discussion. Thank you again for joining us at the AI on podcast?

Anton: 32:44

Absolutely, and I'm glad to hear Zeyhan's work got you thinking about this. He's one of the few people actually connecting the dots on how demographics are shaping the world. This has been a great conversation and I appreciate the chance to lay it all out because, honestly, not enough people are talking about this with the urgency it deserves. Business leaders need to stop assuming the future will look like the past. It won't. So thanks for having me and to your listeners wake up, adapt and get ahead of this now, because in 20 years, the companies that saw this coming will be the ones still standing the rest. Well, there'll be a case study in what happens when you ignore reality. Looking forward to seeing how this discussion plays out.

Luke: 33:29

Appreciate the time, and that's it for today, for AI on surviving demographic collapse. As with all our episodes, you'll be able to continue the conversation with Anton at the link in the description, where a custom GPT built with his background and ideas, is ready to chat to you and possibly to try and sell you his non-existent book. If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share. See you on the next episode of the AION podcast.