Sure, adding Greenland would be nice. So would annexing Canada and the Panama Canal. But the future won’t be determined by physical stuff. It’s not about the hardware.
Advertisement
Instead, civilizations will rise and fall on software.
Greenland still matters because its rare earth resources are necessary to build the infrastructure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems rely on. We haven’t solved all the “physical science” problems that spike costs and trigger inefficiencies. After all, the technology itself is still in its infancy.
But at this point, it’s mostly a software problem.
According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the brainpower of AI systems should continue to improve; the technology seems to be scalable. It’s a big part of the reason why 2025 promises to be a landmark year in AI. In Altman’s words:
We are now confident we know how to build AGI [artificial general intelligence] as we have traditionally understood it. We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents “join the workforce” and materially change the output of companies. We continue to believe that iteratively putting great tools in the hands of people leads to great, broadly-distributed outcomes.
We are beginning to turn our aim beyond that, to superintelligence in the true sense of the word. We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. With superintelligence, we can do anything else. Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.
This sounds like science fiction right now, and somewhat crazy to even talk about it. That’s alright—we’ve been there before and we’re OK with being there again.
Advertisement
It’s heady stuff. Rush Limbaugh used to joke about keeping “half my brain tied behind my back, just to make it fair,” and now, in early 2025, we’re not that far removed from living in a world where everyone travels with a backup, artificial brain.
You’ll have an “AI agent” that proactively looks out for your health. Another that screens your finances and manages your portfolio. Depending on your business, you might have a few others that make sales calls, do your marketing, handle HR, manage payroll, and keep all the trains running on time.
But it could be FAR more than that. Because if or when AI ever reaches superintelligence, it’s game over. The first nation that cracks the “superintelligence code” will inherit the world.
$500 billion is a lot of money. And more than one billionaire seeks the keys to the AI kingdom. Throughout yesterday, Elon Musk and Sam Altman were trading shots, invectives, and very nasty allegations.
Musk called Altman a crook:
Sam is a swindler
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 22, 2025
In response, Altman tried a few different tactics, including flattery:
Advertisement
i genuinely respect your accomplishments and think you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time
— Sam Altman (@sama) January 22, 2025
And later patriotism and/or shame:
wrong, as you surely know.
want to come visit the first site already under way?
this is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put 🇺🇸 first.
— Sam Altman (@sama) January 22, 2025
Altman even acknowledged misjudging Trump:
watching @potus more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him (i wish i had done more of my own thinking and definitely fell in the npc trap).
i’m not going to agree with him on everything, but i think he will be incredible for the country in many ways!
— Sam Altman (@sama) January 23, 2025
At which point, Musk dug up an old anti-Trump tweet of Altman’s and republished it:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2025
It’s silly, juvenile behavior — and it’s more than a little hypocritical because Musk has a history of Trump-bashing, too:
I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.
Dems should also call off the attack – don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022
Advertisement
But this will be the new normal for MAGA and by extension the Republican Party. We opened our doors to the Big Tech CEOs, and alas, it’s not all peaches and cream. All of them — Altman, Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg — have supersized egos, divergent agendas, and personal profit models.
Furthermore, they didn’t become billionaires by playing nicely with others!
Big Tech is now inside the GOP’s Big Tent. But we shouldn’t expect any loyalty: They’re not here for us, and they really don’t care about MAGA. It’s simply a means to an end.
Stay on your toes: Those nerds play hardball.
This post was originally published on here
