THE 21ST CENTURY IS, SO FAR, BEING DEFINED BY its dramatic leap in intelligent technologies—a leap that has brought humanity into an era I call the Intelligent Age, in which large segments of global society now have access to unprecedented technological intelligence. These technologies are becoming deeply ingrained in our everyday lives and changing the world at the most profound individual and international levels.
Artificial intelligence is, unsurprisingly, the linchpin of this transformation. It has rapidly evolved from a specialized tool to a general-purpose technology that, like electricity and the steam engine, is reshaping industries, economies, and even the way we think about ourselves. This surge of technological development comes, not surprisingly, at the same time that the world is grappling with global challenges that demand our immediate, and collective, attention and action.
AI is empowering us beyond the limitations of our natural human cognition. It is bringing an entirely new level of efficiency and insight to everything from health care diagnostics to climate modeling. We need AI to help us tackle the complex, systemic problems that no individual stakeholder, or stakeholder group, could solve alone. Yet, as I have said previously about Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, the opportunities they present also bring profound risks—social, political, and economic disruptions that we must navigate with care.
One of the most striking aspects of recent years is how quickly AI has been embedded into everything around us. The same science that powers autonomous vehicles and generative language models is transforming how we conduct research, teach our children, and maintain our infrastructure. Intelligent technologies—quantum computing, biotechnology, spatial computing and blockchain—are intelligent because they are being enhanced and enabled by AI. This is extremely promising, but we have significant responsibilities to one another to make sure these developments do not do more harm than good.
As intelligent technologies rapidly advance, the risk of creating a cascading effect of uneven benefit distribution is increasing in equal proportion. Some groups and regions are advancing rapidly, propelled by access to cutting-edge applications. Meanwhile, others are at risk of being left behind, creating divisions that could deepen social and economic inequalities for generations. Without international cooperation and collaboration, disparities in access to digital knowledge and resources could entrench unwanted outcomes, leaving large swaths of the global population struggling to catch up.
The geopolitical implications are also profound. We see significant movements from global players, such as the U.S. and China. While the U.S. has historically been a leader in emerging technologies, China has made this realm a clear national priority. It is tempting to view these developments through the lens of competition, but there is even more at stake. It is crucial to recognize that these technologies sit at the very center of global transformation. They have the potential to benefit or unsettle all of us. Humanity’s success does not lie in predicting which nation will emerge as the leader in AI—what really matters is working...
Artificial intelligence is, unsurprisingly, the linchpin of this transformation. It has rapidly evolved from a specialized tool to a general-purpose technology that, like electricity and the steam engine, is reshaping industries, economies, and even the way we think about ourselves. This surge of technological development comes, not surprisingly, at the same time that the world is grappling with global challenges that demand our immediate, and collective, attention and action.
AI is empowering us beyond the limitations of our natural human cognition. It is bringing an entirely new level of efficiency and insight to everything from health care diagnostics to climate modeling. We need AI to help us tackle the complex, systemic problems that no individual stakeholder, or stakeholder group, could solve alone. Yet, as I have said previously about Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, the opportunities they present also bring profound risks—social, political, and economic disruptions that we must navigate with care.
One of the most striking aspects of recent years is how quickly AI has been embedded into everything around us. The same science that powers autonomous vehicles and generative language models is transforming how we conduct research, teach our children, and maintain our infrastructure. Intelligent technologies—quantum computing, biotechnology, spatial computing and blockchain—are intelligent because they are being enhanced and enabled by AI. This is extremely promising, but we have significant responsibilities to one another to make sure these developments do not do more harm than good.
As intelligent technologies rapidly advance, the risk of creating a cascading effect of uneven benefit distribution is increasing in equal proportion. Some groups and regions are advancing rapidly, propelled by access to cutting-edge applications. Meanwhile, others are at risk of being left behind, creating divisions that could deepen social and economic inequalities for generations. Without international cooperation and collaboration, disparities in access to digital knowledge and resources could entrench unwanted outcomes, leaving large swaths of the global population struggling to catch up.
The geopolitical implications are also profound. We see significant movements from global players, such as the U.S. and China. While the U.S. has historically been a leader in emerging technologies, China has made this realm a clear national priority. It is tempting to view these developments through the lens of competition, but there is even more at stake. It is crucial to recognize that these technologies sit at the very center of global transformation. They have the potential to benefit or unsettle all of us. Humanity’s success does not lie in predicting which nation will emerge as the leader in AI—what really matters is working...
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Time (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 27, 2025