Artificial Intelligence in 2022 | Where are We Now and What Does the Future Hold?

Artificial Intelligence in 2022 | Where are We Now and What Does the Future Hold?
Part 1
Vicar Sayeedi
January 26, 2022

About seventy thousand years ago, Sapiens underwent what may best be described as a genetic mutation in our brains. This unprecedented change in our cognitive ability – the Cognitive or Intellectual Revolution – resulted in a transition for our species, Sapiens, from the middle of the food chain to the very top. Since that time, we have essentially dominated our planet. With the exception of natural phenomenon beyond our control, we have achieved a remarkable degree of agency over our own destiny.

As we enter this new year, humankind is steadily approaching the precipice of another extraordinary, profound and unprecedented intellectual revolution – the Age of AI. The dawn of the Age of AI will be the first event of this magnitude since the Cognitive Revolution. We will gradually enter a post-rational world, a sphere in which the primacy of human intelligence will soon be eclipsed by the primacy of Artificial Intelligence. This is extremely unsettling since, relative to all other species, the primacy of human intelligence has been our defining characteristic for seventy thousand years.

Despite the primordial status of human intelligence and our incomparable capacity for reason, there will soon be no rational comparison between human intelligence and the intellectual ability and processing capacity of AI. Using machine learning, AI Agents are being trained on what are, for all intents and purposes, infinite volumes of data and AI’s computational ability is orders of magnitude faster than the human mind. And AI is getting faster every day. For the first time in human history, we have created a proxy, a realistic substitute for human intelligence. As such, AI has eclipsed all our achievements leaving it alone as humankind’s greatest ever invention.

For nearly ten centuries, beginning with the sacking of Rome circa 410 CE, Western Europe entered a bleak period in its history. With the transition of the center of Roman governance eastward to Constantinople [Byzantium] to contend with the threats from the Persian Empire, virtually all classical knowledge accumulated from Greece and Rome in the West was lost. This new, Medieval Period was characterized by an endemic reliance upon dogma, mythology, supernatural ideas and superstitious explanations for experiences, phenomenon and observations humankind could not understand or otherwise explain. These irrational dogmas and mystical beliefs were institutionalized and perpetuated for centuries by the Church and were very effective in maintaining their authority and control over society.

But with the arrival of the Black Death in 1348, there was a dramatic fracturing of cultural norms along with social upheaval within the prevalent economic and political systems. For some time, intellectuals had begun to secretly question the teachings of the Church. Then, the dramatic loss of life and subsequent consequences of the Plague catalyzed the opportunity to exploit the chaotic new environment. These intellectuals now proposed their new rational ideas to each other more openly than ever before, and this laid the foundation for the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.

Although six centuries have passed since humankind in the West embarked upon their ascent into the Age of Reason, many societies around the world have yet to make this transition. With the facilities for knowledge acquisition and transfer available today, antiquated societies can easily observe the successes attributed to rational attitudes and behavior within the cultures and polities of developed societies. Yet, their irrational and unsubstantiated religious dogmas, mythology, supernatural notions and superstitious characteristics remain interlaced and inextricably woven into the fabric of their ancient cultures. For them, self-reflection, introspection, reform and adaptation to modernity remain elusive.

But now the West is poised on the precipice of the 4th Industrial Revolution characterized by the rise of Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Computing and Data Science whilst these ancient societies remain trapped in their Medieval mindset. These ancient societies continue to struggle to accept and embrace the Age of Reason. There have been many dramatic events in Asia and Africa during these past six hundred years, important inflection points that may have provided the opportunity for revolutionary change in culture and polity. But these inflection points don’t seem to have had a similar effect in fracturing cultures and societal norms or economic and political systems in the manner that the Black Death did for the Western Europeans in the middle of the 14th century.

During the past six centuries, the intransigence of civilizations desperate to hold on to their Medieval culture in the face of so much change in other parts of the world, left millions of people extremely vulnerable to oppression. They endured terrible humiliation, injustice, subjugation and suffering as Colonialism, Imperialism and the Industrial Revolution unfurled across Western civilizations. As the Europeans embarked upon journeys of discovery and conquest across the oceans and onwards to the four corners of the Earth, they brought great suffering to the peoples of Africa, Asia and South America. Today, the worry amongst many public intellectuals is that a similar fate, or one even worse, awaits societies throughout the Developing World. The 4th Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence are likely to remake society in a manner orders of magnitude more revolutionarily than what occurred in the wake of the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. History seems poised to repeat itself but perhaps this time more ferociously than during Colonialism.

Most citizens in both the Developed and Developing World still consider Artificial Intelligence to be nothing more than science fiction, a problem that they may someday need to contend with. Although this sentiment is understandable, it is also very dangerous. The Age of AI will be particularly worrisome when paired with Climate Change since environmental crises will likely add another layer of complexity and suffering to the evolving situation.

Climate Change is of course much more palpable, visceral and visible – we see video clips of massive glaciers collapsing into the Arctic Sea and we observe the suffering of billions of animals as their natural habitats are destroyed. We watch fires, flooding and torrential storms destroy human habitation, families, communities and entire villages and towns. But Artificial Intelligence is different than Climate Change. It is more akin to a silent killer – it resembles a colorless, odorless, invisible gas that slowly envelopes us and by the time we realize we’re being constricted by its unwelcome embrace, it’s too late to flee. The window of opportunity to plan for the revolutionary changes AI brings will also have closed.

During this decade, we expect 800 million people around the world will be adversely impacted by Climate Change. As their agricultural and pastoral lands in tropical regions of the planet are overwhelmed by the ravages of Climate Change, they will undoubtedly be forced to migrate from their homes to more temperate climates. This will result in unmanageable social upheaval in their new host nation as increasing numbers compete for jobs and other resources. To compound humankind’s challenge, labor economists in Germany have recently warned that during this decade, 800 million jobs are also vulnerable to the reality that Artificial Intelligence will replace human workers in part or in whole. Yet, we see very little discussion in our legislatures or by other elected officials to address these inescapable emerging realities.

Although largely unaware, most citizens around the world are already interacting with Artificial Intelligence numerous times each day. Each time they connect with social media – applications including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – they are unwittingly interacting with AI. The AI Agent that underpins these social media sites works incessantly to refine the personal profiles of billions of people around the world each time they connect. The Agent’s goal is to understand each person as intimately as possible so it can personalize their online experience with such precision that users find it difficult to disengage. In a matter of seconds after we launch our accounts for these various applications, the AI Agents display a unique and virtually infinite stream of news stories, photos and videos finely adapted for our specific interests and tastes.

Unfortunately, these AI Agents have no interest in ensuring that the information users are being presented with is accurate or truthful. Veracity is not their objective; engagement is. There is much discussion taking place in society about the damage caused by these social media applications, yet change is painfully slow to come. In the meantime, countless preteen girls are arriving in hospital emergency rooms where they are treated for attempts at self-harm. Teenage girls are being treated in adjacent rooms for attempting or contemplating suicide. The social media applications continuously show these young people images and videos of other young girls who seem to be physically desirable and perfect in every way as they go about celebrating their unimaginably perfect lives. The girls in the ER realize they cannot compare with these idealized young women and their inability to cope with this reality leads them to attempt various forms of self-harm.

Adults are also experiencing great harm from social media. They find themselves consumed by stories and videos that reinforce their biases by triggering the emotions and impulses in their Limbic system. Their news streams deliberately make them angry, anxious and frustrated since the AI Agent knows that this is the best way to keep them engaged. Once again, they may be receiving news, pictures and videos that are untrue and this is exacerbating the political divide in America and around the world. Social media has directly led to a degree of polarization within society along the lines of education, ethnicity, income and wealth inequality, race and rural versus urban communities to such an extent that nearly 70% of America’s electorate now say that the country’s democracy is in crisis.

Nevertheless, Artificial Intelligence is and will continue to have many positive benefits for individuals and society. AI is expected to revolutionize the rate at which new, more effective and safe drugs are developed for numerous illnesses. AI will likely result in dramatic cost reductions for the development of these drugs, as well. AI will also revolutionize health care as AI Agents with the knowledge of a highly trained physician establish residency on every individual’s iPhone or Smartwatch. Similarly, another AI Agent can accompany each and every student throughout their education and formative years to ensure that they are learning well. We’ll discuss these applications and more in Part 2 of this series of essays on the future of Artificial Intelligence.









Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Bell Labs Alumnus, a Lecturer and a Consultant. He is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.

Vicar has lectured widely about Artificial Intelligence. Vicar has recently lectured in New York at the National Hemophilia Foundation about AI & the Life Sciences. He has also lectured in London in the Royal Boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, in Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley, the National Library of Singapore as well as in Düsseldorf [with invitations extended to Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Rome, Stockholm & Vienna] on AI and its implications for individuals and societies. Vicar has lectured at leading companies, as well. In April 2022, Vicar will be lecturing at Cambridge Library adjacent to Harvard Square.

Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. For geopolitical technologists, the symbiosis at this intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.

Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children.


You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7

The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:

Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?

Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents

Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism

Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!

Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens

Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance

Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI

Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!

Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius

Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple

Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society

Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution

Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy

Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens

Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment

Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair

Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game

Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?

Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West

Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]

Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship

Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology

Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution

Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind

Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team

Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?

Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos

Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State

Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?

Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA

Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?

Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy

Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration

Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?

Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution

Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?

Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?

Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?

Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?

Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?

Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?

Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology

Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China

Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?

Episode 46 - https://youtu.be/atMSV1WAFkg
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?

Episode 47 - https://youtu.be/kz7-EDmlGXc
Will AI Favor Authoritarianism or Democracy?

Episode 48 - https://youtu.be/uTvKWQgdOaI
AI | A Key Enabler of Universal Basic Income?

Episode 49 - https://youtu.be/sy48Xqo-3qM
AI & The Future of Government, Industry, Markets &Trade

Episode 50 - https://youtu.be/JU1oGzb5TS0
AI & Surveillance | America’s New Strategy in the Middle East

Episode 51 - https://youtu.be/nOCQjUxLWJY
AI-Enabled Global Government | An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Episode 52 - https://youtu.be/g1VJqiI3HyE
AI & Healthcare | What Will the Future Look Like? Will it be More Equitable?

Episode 53 - https://youtu.be/ie9KAg_kF7Q
AI & Surveillance | The Ethical Dilemma of Facial Recognition Software

Episode 54 - https://youtu.be/ie9KAg_kF7Q
AI & Regulation | Europe is Leading the Way

Episode 55 - https://youtu.be/l-gcYTZMsm8
AI & Consciousness | Will Machines Soon be Sentient?

Episode 56 - https://youtu.be/-8BaouCn9cs
AI & Regulation | Europe Announces New Rules

Episode 57 - https://youtu.be/243zm7aHImQ
AI & Human Emotion Recognition | Is it Inherently Flawed?

Episode 58 - https://youtu.be/rdXllGj8rbo
AI & Autonomous Vehicles | Where are We Now?

Episode 59 - https://youtu.be/EMbqpN5mbqw
AI & the 4 Little Trees | More on Emotion Recognition

Episode 60 - https://youtu.be/K5wtkj-VTrk
AI & the Colonial Pipeline Attack | Cyber Threats are Growing Rapidly

Episode 61 - https://youtu.be/03KysO3VJgI
AI & the Coronavirus | A Postmortem

Episode 62 - https://youtu.be/7wmSIWgbuQI
AI on the Battlefield | The Conflict in Gaza

Episode 63 - https://youtu.be/a_1AmLJD3lo
AI and Xenophobia | Will We Finally Break the Cycle?

Episode 64 - https://youtu.be/9s-Go1TYK9c
AI, Cyber Attacks & the Future of War | Where are We Headed?

Episode 65 - https://youtu.be/1nKbTMzfpqM
Artificial Intelligence | Humankind’s Final and Greatest Invention

Episode 66 - https://youtu.be/cplR62KTa88
America & the 4th Industrial Revolution | Where do We Go from Here?

Episode 67 - https://youtu.be/RMrqreI-PRw
Artificial Intelligence | [Digital] Life After Death

Episode 68 - https://youtu.be/KzR8NkVdT0Q
Artificial Intelligence | The Fear Factor

Episode 69 - https://youtu.be/BI0HqACc4Ek
Artificial Intelligence | The Trust Factor

Episode 70 - https://youtu.be/nKhqVtQC_NI
Artificial Intelligence | Implications for the Future of Democracy

Episode 71 - https://youtu.be/GKD5hXmnpTU
Artificial Intelligence | Deep Fakes & Pornography

Episode 72 - https://youtu.be/KJdoBm5Kmw8
Artificial Intelligence | Working in the 21st Century

Episode 73 - https://youtu.be/lLY6gF_eeas
AI & Disinformation | Implications for Democracy & Geopolitics

Episode 74 - https://youtu.be/URsauWURj5A
AI, Climate Change & Pandemics | A Case for Global Governance?

Episode 75 - https://youtu.be/cu7xOHpNiO4
Artificial Intelligence | New Year’s Resolutions & Societal Reformation

Episode 76 - https://youtu.be/1-orEsKg5fM
Artificial Intelligence | Meritocracy and the Gathering Storm

Episode 77 - https://youtu.be/jYzyrxhxCJk
AI, Authoritarianism & Democracy | What Does the Future Hold?

Episode 78 – https://youtu.be/G5dlaB8TZJQ
AI & Speciation | Symbiosis and the 4th Industrial Revolution

Episode 79 – https://youtu.be/8pq2ZAxRdcY
AI and Disinformation | Echo Chambers in an Age of Division

Episode 80 – https://youtu.be/bewLnveVpDI
AI & Human Conflict | Objectivism, Tribalism & the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Episode 81 – https://youtu.be/Z5ZvMYuNhLQ
AI, Climate Change & Migration | Sowing the Seeds of Intraplanetary Discord

Episode 82 – https://youtu.be/mP-r_0pS3P8
Artificial Intelligence in 2022 | Where are We Now and What Does the Future Hold?