Quicktake: the Future of AI
by Tracy Work
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, economies, and societies worldwide. While the full extent of AI's impact remains uncertain, three themes are emerging as indicators of what lies ahead. AI adoption will be iterative, free AI will (continue to) be subpar thereby deepening economic divides, and there will be real casualties at the hands of AI development—both economic and geopolitical – as it continues to evolve.
1. The Journey to Ubiquitous AI Will Be Iterative
Just as the internet evolved in stages from Web 1.0 (static pages) to Web 2.0 (interactive content) and now Web 3.0 (decentralization, AI, and blockchain), AI is following an evolutionary path. The trajectory of AI adoption and integration will progress through distinct phases:
Standalone AI: Early AI models are individual, limited in scope, and confined to specific applications (e.g., chatbots, recommendation engines, and narrow AI tools like DeepBlue in chess).
Connected AI Apps: AI systems begin interacting, sharing data, and improving functionality through cloud-based integrations (e.g., AI-powered assistants like Siri and Alexa communicating with third-party services).
Integrated AI: AI becomes embedded within core business and personal workflows, enhancing decision-making, automating complex tasks, and reshaping industries (e.g., AI-driven healthcare diagnostics and fully autonomous customer service solutions).
Ubiquitous AI: AI reaches a stage where it is seamlessly incorporated into daily life, influencing nearly every interaction and decision without explicit human engagement (akin to electricity or the internet today).
As AI progresses through these stages, its impact will be comparable to past disruptive technologies. The decline of Blockbuster due to the rise of streaming services, the dominance of smartphones altering human interaction, and the internet’s transformation of commerce are all precedents for AI’s impending revolution. Businesses that fail to adapt will be left behind, while those that embrace AI early will shape the next generation of industry leaders.
2. Free AI Sucks: the Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves
Despite AI’s potential to democratize access to knowledge and tools, the reality is that economic disparities will intensify. The rich will get richer, leveraging AI to optimize operations, cut costs, and increase productivity, while those without capital or expertise will struggle to compete.
Free AI vs. Paid AI: Free AI tools are inferior compared to high-end, costly alternatives. We already see this distinction in software development—compare open-source alternatives to enterprise-grade platforms. Expect AI disparities in:
Answer veracity: Premium AI models will have access to superior datasets and proprietary knowledge repositories, leading to better insights and recommendations.
Advertising interference: Free AI tools will be ad-driven, potentially skewing responses in favor of paying advertisers rather than unbiased results.
Processing speed & accessibility: Enterprise-level AI provides better, faster, more reliable results, while free alternatives often experience downtime, lag, or service limitations.
The inevitable result: those with resources will continue gaining a competitive edge, while those without access to high-quality AI will find themselves at an increasing disadvantage. Without proactive policy intervention, this trend will only worsen before it improves, further exacerbating inequities.
3. There Will Be Casualties—Real People Will Get Hurt
The darker side of AI development is its potential to cause real harm—economically, socially, and even geopolitically. While job displacement has long been a concern with automation, AI's impact will likely surpass that of previous technological disruptions.
Job Displacement: AI will replace roles faster than new jobs can be created. Unlike previous industrial revolutions that required retraining, AI automates cognitive tasks, threatening even white-collar jobs. Professions in customer service, legal research, and financial analysis are already feeling the pressure.
AI as a Weapon: Governments and organizations are racing to develop AI-powered cyber and military tools. The likelihood of AI-driven misinformation campaigns, autonomous warfare, and cyberattacks disrupting global stability is increasing. A major AI-related military event could trigger geopolitical crises unlike any seen before.
Lack of Oversight & Ethical Risks: AI decision-making remains opaque. Without robust regulation, biases will be amplified, critical mistakes will go unchecked, and human lives will be put at risk. Whether it’s wrongful arrests due to biased facial recognition or AI-driven financial crashes, real consequences will emerge. Recent action from the White House serves to further intensify the situation.
The combination of corporate profit motives, governmental involvement, and the lack of sufficient ethical oversight means the road ahead will be fraught with challenges. While AI’s potential benefits are undeniable, its risks should not be ignored.
Conclusion
The future of AI is neither utopian nor dystopian—it is a complex, iterative transformation that will redefine human existence. As AI evolves, it will reshape industries, deepen economic (and other) divides, and inevitably real people will be hurt along the way.