Beyond being one of the longest-running and most successful animated series on television, The Simpsons has earned a special place in popular culture for its supposed "predictions" about the future. With the start of 2026, several episodes began circulating again on social media because of their striking coincidences with current debates related to technology, artificial intelligence, and the global landscape.
Although many of these situations arose as exaggerated satires, the passage of time has made some of the fiction's nods feel eerily close to reality. These are some of The Simpsons' predictions that, according to fans, could come true in 2026.
Artificial intelligence and its impact on the world of work
One of the most frequently cited episodes is Them, Robot, from season 23. In that episode, the workers at the nuclear plant and other jobs in Springfield are replaced by automated systems and robots with the goal of reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
What once seemed like an exaggerated critique is now linked to a central debate in 2026: the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market. Automation, the use of algorithms, and the incorporation of AI in different industries have rekindled the fear of job losses, an issue that the series anticipated through humor.
