When I first watched Black Mirror, with all its dystopian takes of a tech-dominated future, I thought: there's no way any of this could actually happen in the real world. It seemed a bit far-fetched; too science fiction for me.
Now, it seems not only possible, but imminent.
We are on the verge of witnessing the convergence of several transformative technologies: AI, blockchain, quantum computing, nanotechnology, nuclear fusion—and probably some other advanced technologies we haven't even come up with yet. We've passed the inflection point.
Businesses globally are integrating generative AI into their core operations, encouraging their employees to "augment" their work, or replacing them altogether. Governments are implementing national AI strategies in a race to become the global AI leader.
Imagine a world, 10-15 years from now (or maybe even sooner), where AI is as ubiquitous as smartphones are today. A world where we move past just daily interactions with AI to forming deep connections with it. Where humans become best friends, or even have romantic relationships, with AI. AI best friends, AI therapists, AI mentors. In this world, AI understands us better than we understand ourselves. We think social media is addictive today—how much more addictive will it be when it's supercharged by AI algorithms that know what lives in our subconscious?
Since I wrote this, OpenAI acquired a startup founded by former Apple design chief, hinting at a vision for the future where AI doesn't just live on the cloud, but in our pockets; a physical AI device that won't replace our smartphones but that we'll carry around with us like we do our phones…
How can we be surprised that companies are laying off employees and allegedly replacing them with AI? In a capitalist society, how can we blame businesses for cutting costs and maximizing efficiency as much as they can? That's simply what they're incentivized to do.
This raises a question that's been brimming in my mind for a while now: Can capitalism, in its form today, survive a world where AI can do nearly everything more efficiently than humans can? How, not if, is AI going to change the global world order?
Ray Dalio, in his book The Changing World Order, describes a cyclical pattern observed in the lifecycle of all major empires throughout history: the rise, the peak, and the inevitable decline. The decline ends with some form of revolution or war that catalyzes a reset to a new world order, giving way to the beginning of a new cycle.
Today, we see a similar pattern: the U.S.'s weakening global influence, China's rise, geopolitical tensions, Israel's blatant genocide in Palestine—and now, an AI revolution unfolding in real time.
What if AI proves better than humans at resource allocation?
Better than free markets?
Better than governments?
I was a toddler during the Third Industrial Revolution. So despite all the fear-mongering that I'm sure existed at the beginning of the industrial revolution too (we turned out just fine by the way!), I'm excited to see how this plays out, and I'm excited to take part in the innovation. I get excited thinking about the opportunities that this technology can bring, especially for developing countries, and I think it's come at the perfect time, where chaos in the world is at its peak, brimming with problems that have proven beyond human capacity to solve.