C: I’ve gathered you together to discuss the war and AI. First, the war. You had wildly different views of it the last time we met. Have your opinions changed?
M: Not mine. I thought it was a serious mistake back then. Events have proven me right.
S: I’m not crazy about where we are right now, but I still trust Trump to win the war. He’ll pull a rabbit out of a hat. He always does.
C: How do you feel about higher gas prices?
S: I hate them, of course. Everything is more expensive now. We need to find an end to the war. But Trump will figure out a way.
C: How does the war end? Trump doesn’t have enough leverage to force the Iranians to submit to him. Does he use ground troops?
S: No. We don’t need another Iraq. Trump won’t let that happen.
C: Then how does it end?
S: I don’t know. He’ll think of something. He always does. He’s the boss.
C: Let’s turn our attention to AI. How do you feel about it?
M: Great! We’re incorporating it into parts of the business already. I should be able to lay off some of my administrative employees within a few months. That will increase profits even if I’m having trouble selling cars at a reasonable price, thanks to Trump’s stupid tariffs.
S: I will admit, I’m worried.
C: Why? What are your concerns?
S: I don’t want any of those data centers in my neighborhood. My electric bills are way too high already. I’m worried about impacts to our water supply. And I’m concerned about the impacts to American workers. How many of us are going to be out of work? What will we do?
M: They’ll find new jobs. They always do. That’s how the economy always works. Progress is good for everyone, even if there are some short-term adjustments to be made.
C: Donald Trump is very pro-AI. He’s doing his best to eliminate state and local regulation of AI. Don’t you trust him on that?
S: I trust Trump, but I think he’s getting some bad advice. Those rich tech guys have too much influence on his administration.
C: You don’t trust big tech? Trump does.
S: Big tech barons don’t care about real Americans like me. They just want to line their pockets and tell me what to do. They need to be brought under control.
C: And who is going to do that? Not Trump, based on his record to date.
S: I told you–he’s getting bad advice. Once he knows the truth, he’ll protect people like me. He just needs better information. He needs to get out more.
C: I think we’ll end it there.