The AI update a glimpse into the future

A good example is how AI is affecting our daily lives every minute. Those at the forefront of highly specialised roles have found that more junior, repetitive tasks can be handled by AI and incorporated into their workflows. As a senior software developer, I need to review, refine, and develop complex algorithms. You will begin to notice that some of the simpler, easier tasks can be done by AI. This has been happening for years. Automated code generation in Microsoft Excel has been available for more than 10 years, and most of us have used it to generate baseline code for various features. Then we just refine and make alterations to make it more optimised, specific and refined. Now, a large part of the world has left Microsoft Excel behind and is using Google Sheets with C#, but that did serve as a baseline. The AI can help convert code from Excel/VBA to Google Sheets/C#. The Google Sheets/C# combination offers greater security, greater flexibility, and always keeps the documents up to date. The problems associated with Microsoft Excel are no longer present, as only one updatable version, available only to a select group of individuals, is in circulation.

Some people have not realised that the AI revolution is coming, and many will lose their jobs. This is now obvious to almost everyone, and it will lead to societal upheaval and changes more akin to those of the Industrial Revolution, which resulted in nation-states and the further rise and superiority of the British Empire. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, it created new social classes, such as the middle class, and drove political centralisation. This resulted in the modern nation-states as we know them, with centralised governments, built infrastructure, economies, and national identities. Hence, the formation of nation-states was deeply intertwined with industrialisation and the associated social upheavals. Hence, any similar revolution is related to a societal change. The uneven development also meant that some countries became imperial powers, while others were left behind, which shaped global politics and inequalities well into the modern era. The First World War (WWI), the Second World War, the Cold War and the present state are linked to these changes. Hence, when the Europeans arrived on African shores, they had not only the weapons and technology but also much experience using them and were better organised, with all the necessary support services and logistics that go with raising and keeping an army on the move. Hence, it was an issue of bows and arrows, spears and shields against rifles and machine guns, and we know who is most likely to win in the end. The people who chose to live in their own bubble and not develop were engulfed by the changes happening all around them.

Another way I've noticed the difference was when I was working as a medical doctor decades ago. We used to spend hours dictating notes to our medical secretaries, who would then type them and send us the paper to sign before they sent it out. The whole process would take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Now, what is happening is that we can all dictate our notes with medical terms, which some of the secretaries had difficulty with. At that time, some of the secretaries also had difficulty with the African doctors' accents, as well as with those of the Scottish and Irish doctors. If we are dictating notes to a colleague in the workplace, we will send them immediately; all we need to do is sign them by copying the signature. It means the secretaries who typed all those were being made redundant. I used to spend hours dictating the letters, waiting for a secretary to type them out and then sign them. Now it's just a matter of minutes. Also, writing this blog would have been a problem because I would have had to type every single word. Now all I need to do is dictate it on my smartphone, which has voice recognition software. It will place full stops, commas, and new paragraphs when necessary, unless indicated otherwise. It also reviews your written work, edits it, and checks for spelling and grammatical errors. It will make writing less complicated and more enjoyable for both writers and readers. Also, producing pictures for the blog is less cumbersome and complicated; it is slicker and slimmer. The idea is to get the correct prompt. All the pictures I used in this blog were generated by AI.

The AI revolution is a sign of things to come, and its success depends on the government's response. As the last revolution did push for social reforms, this will push the government to introduce new labour policies, education reforms, and even a universal basic income. The worst-case scenario outcome if the government does not respond. There would be rising inequality, leading to political unrest and the rise of an extremist government, either on the Left or, most likely, on the far Right, which will increase isolation and eventually lead to war. Blaming immigrants and closing their borders with a seductive message. Still, as we have seen already, all nations have become deeply entrenched in the global system. Due to trade and integration, most nations cannot exist without trading with another. Be it rare Earth metals, energy sources, or even reliable, constant, cheap food sources, access to these markets and the maintenance of these routes will be the basis of the next race as the international order breaks down. The Pax Britannica was a period of relative peace after the Napoleonic Wars during which the British navy patrolled the seas, suppressed piracy, and sought to maintain order. During this time, the British Empire became the world hegemon, developed an additional informal empire, and adopted the role of a "global policeman. This stopped after WW1, and after WW2, we had the Pax Americana. After the US took it upon itself as the biggest and most economically viable nation after WW2, it started to pump in millions of dollars to develop Europe under the Marshall Plan and help in rebuilding Europe so that it did not fall under the control of the Communists and with a military wing, NATO, a defence alliance to protect Europe from the Soviets. They started the UN, with the help of other nations, and established rules and laws to prevent other nations from attacking one another and were able to maintain relative peace. Hence, under Trump, the US has reduced its budget to less than half of its previous level and is withdrawing from 31 UN-linked bodies, including UNESCO.

While the US is withdrawing, China is increasing its global reach and has become the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and a top troop contributor. As the US withdraws, its support for democratic norms and open markets seems to be going with it. Meanwhile, China offers big infrastructure development and debt risks with less emphasis on human rights. China could be setting global standards without the checks and balances we have now. Pax Sinica (Latin for "Chinese peace") was a historical concept, and we might see another period of peace as Chinese influence stabilises through the development of trade and infrastructure. This forces the US to cautiously re-engage in global investment to counter China's reach. China is taking a leading role in AI and AI development, and it's now one of its leaders. It combines huge government investment, massive data access, advanced manufacturing, and companies like Huawei and Baidu to compete with the United States. China leads in areas like facial recognition, smart cities, robotics, and AI-driven surveillance. Its strengths are scale and industrial capacity, while weaknesses include reliance on advanced foreign chips and concerns about censorship and state control. China may dominate AI manufacturing, robotics, smart infrastructure, and state-directed systems, while the U.S. may retain an edge in frontier research and innovation. AI will increasingly affect warfare, jobs, healthcare, education, and global influence. The biggest risks are surveillance, misinformation, cyberwarfare, and economic disruption. The biggest opportunities are scientific breakthroughs, automation, and major improvements in productivity and medicine.