China is preparing to steal the jobs of the future
Sometimes referred to as the 'singularity', it's long been the stuff of science fiction, but many techies believe, such is the pace of current development, that it is on the verge of becoming a reality.
Whoever gets there first, it is widely believed, will inherit the Earth, embedding their influence, ideology and systems of governance into world affairs for generations to come.
It's a frightening as well as awe-inspiring prospect and it is one whose potentially transformational geopolitical consequences are only now starting to be more widely appreciated.
And it's why the US and China are increasingly engaged in what can only be described as a new arms race – or space race – to develop and harness artificial superintelligence for economic and geopolitical superiority. In both jurisdictions, hundreds of billions of dollars a year are being poured into getting there first.
Yet though the Trump administration is only too aware of the threat, its response is oddly backward-looking and counterproductive. Despite the apparent world lead the US has in supercomputing, there is a high chance it will end up losing the war.
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