I was just reading about a record-setting El Nino event that is causing extreme weather throughout the world, which you may have noticed where you live. In many ways, it feels like we are on a precipice of major climatic changes, with evidence pointing to our own impacts on the environment. Data centers, AI energy consumption, fossil fuels, and mass consumption are all adding to these impacts. We definitely are at a moment where we need to decide what kind of ancestors we want to be for future generations. Gerry McGovern has been thinking and writing about the issues of waste, climate change, and global impacts. In his new book "99th Day: A Warning about Technology," he talks about the impact of unfettered techno-capitalism on our lives and world. He does so as a person who formerly worked with companies around enhancing customer experience. Now he is looking at experiences of a different kind: environmental experiences and social impacts brought by ignoring the warning signs all around us.
I just had the pleasure of traveling to New Orleans to take in the art, music, museums, and culture that the city has to offer. And trust me, it has a lot to offer. A city that old and with so much history has so much to offer on so many levels that it would take a lifetime to explore, let alone even attempt to understand.
During my trip, I chatted with a lot of people who were from there or moved there, talking about what the city is like 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. Parts of the city, like the Lower Ninth Ward, are still reeling from the impacts of the hurricane and flooding. The whole city is still being impacted by the financial mismanagement and theft allegations that happened after the storm. If you ask people (or don’t even ask them) about it, they will tell you about it.
Despite the empty buildings and empty storefronts and empty homes, there is still life in the city, as there has been for centuries. The legacy of New Orleans is full of different moments that define different periods. The more dramatic the hardship, the greater the opportunity for the return.
And it seems like the potential for hardships is only going to increase for all of us given the climate changes we have seen taking place, with Katrina being perhaps an early harbinger of things to come. My guest today on Experience by Design is here to talk about the trajectory we are on, and what it will mean for all of us.
Gerry McGovern has had a career working with organizations to identify customer needs and how to position themselves for digital transformation. Now he is leading with a different message about how we need to address the impacts of techno-capitalism for this generation and future ones as well. His book “99th Day: A Warning about Technology” was published in February 2026. In it, Gerry talks about the impending environmental and social collapse brought on by data centers, AI, and other technologies that take our shared resources for the pursuance of individual greed.
We cover a lot of territory in our conversation. We discuss how we are risking life on Earth to create AI slop. Gerry calls out the promises of a brighter technological future given the actual impacts. His initial explorations of digital waste led to a greater realization regarding the impacts of mining waste and other byproducts of unrestrained profit seeking and growth. As he observes, we are on a fast train to a massive crash unless we start to re-evaluate our priorities, policies, and positions on techno-capitalism.
And we all play a part in terms of our patterns of consumption and the marketing engines that drive it.
Ultimately, Gerry calls for us to give up and grieve for the civilization that we currently have in order to bring into existence the civilization that we need in this moment. But like with New Orleans, the more desperate the situation, the greater the opportunity for the recovery and rebirth. That is, only if we do the work necessary to bring it into being and become Good Ancestors to future generations.
Gerry McGovern website: https://gerrymcgovern.com/
“99th Day” Book: https://gerrymcgovern.com/books/99th-day/
Gerry McGovern Insights: https://gerrymcgovern.com/new-thinking/