Prepare / AI collapse
How do you prepare for an AI collapse?
You do not need a science-fiction scenario for this page to be useful.
Accounts get frozen, platforms fail, algorithms make wrong calls about real people every day. The more of your life runs through automated systems, the more one failure can take with it.
The preparation is independence: a household that keeps working offline.
The first hour of a lockout
- Switch to cash. Assume accounts can be frozen or gated without warning.
- Reach for your printed records: IDs, deeds, contacts, medical records, and account details, so your identity does not live only on a server.
- Use paper maps if you need to move. Treat GPS and map apps as trackable and revocable.
- Check in with your trusted local circle at the agreed meeting points and times. No network needed.
- Turn on the hand-crank radio for official broadcasts.
What to stock
| Item | How much | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Physical cash | Several weeks of essentials | Plus some small-value goods to trade. |
| Printed records | 1 full set | IDs, deeds, contacts, medical records, and account details on paper. |
| Paper maps and compass | 1 set per household | Navigation that cannot be tracked or switched off. |
| Hand-crank radio | 1 per household | Receives official broadcasts when networks are controlled or down. |
| Offline data backups | 1 set, kept current | Key files stored locally, with non-essential cloud sync turned off. |
Skills to learn now
- Analog navigation: read a paper map and use a compass so you never depend on GPS.
- Manual finance: budgeting, bartering, and trading in cash or goods without an app or bank.
- Hands-on repair: fix tools, bikes, plumbing, and basic electrics so you do not rely on connected services.
- First aid and home health: treat wounds, fevers, and minor illness without an app or clinic.
- Food production: grow, forage, preserve, and cook from raw staples.
- Operational privacy: recognize tracking, limit the data you give off, and communicate quietly offline.
If you have kids, elderly, or pets
- Cross-train the household: at least two people should be able to run every critical task by hand.
- Cut always-on microphones and cameras. Smart speakers, doorbells, and TVs that listen are the easiest way to be watched.
- Form a trusted local circle with agreed meeting points and check-in times that need no network.
Common mistakes
- Keeping identity, money, and records only in accounts someone else can freeze.
- Using strong passwords everywhere except the accounts that matter, and skipping offline backups.
- Letting one person hold all the practical skills.
- Assuming anything typed, said, or bought online is private. Keep sensitive plans offline and in person.
FAQ
Is this scenario realistic?
The extreme version is speculative. The building blocks are not: frozen accounts, platform failures, and wrong automated decisions already happen. The same preparation covers all of them.
What should I keep on paper?
IDs, deeds, contacts, medical records, and account details, so your identity does not live only on a server. Add paper maps and a compass.
What skills matter most?
Hands-on repair, first aid, gardening and food preservation, cooking from raw staples, and navigating, budgeting, and trading without an app. Cross-train your household so at least two people can run every critical task.
Related guides: Internet outage · Financial crisis · Power outage