Political Tensions and Corporate Power

The return of Trump and the growing influence of Christian nationalists in American politics mirror the authoritarian regimes often portrayed in cyberpunk narratives. This shift towards a more theocratic government, with groups aiming to reshape laws based on religious values, echoes the oppressive power structures commonly found in cyberpunk worlds. The blurring of lines between government and religious institutions resembles the corporate-controlled societies in many cyberpunk stories, where traditional democratic processes are subverted by powerful entities.

Technological Advancements and AI

The rapid rise of AI, exemplified by China’s DeepSeek, parallels the omnipresent artificial intelligence systems in cyberpunk fiction. DeepSeek’s ability to match or surpass Western AI models at a fraction of the cost reflects the genre’s theme of technological innovation outpacing societal readiness. This breakthrough, causing market disruptions and intensifying US-China tech rivalries, mirrors the global power struggles often depicted in cyberpunk narratives.

Ubiquitous Technology and Surveillance

The increasing availability of cheap technology like smartphones, drones, and bots aligns with the cyberpunk vision of a world saturated with high-tech gadgets. This proliferation of technology, while offering convenience, also raises concerns about privacy and surveillance – a central theme in cyberpunk stories. The potential for an “Internet of Things” by 2025, where everyday objects become information nodes, further blurs the line between the physical and digital worlds, a hallmark of cyberpunk settings.

Climate Change and Environmental Degradation

The escalating frequency of climate-related disasters echoes the environmental crises often portrayed in cyberpunk fiction. The disproportionate impact of these events on marginalized communities reflects the social inequality prevalent in cyberpunk narratives. The potential for climate-induced mass migrations by 2050 aligns with the dystopian futures often depicted in the genre.

Wealth Disparity and Corporate Dominance

The growing economic inequality, exacerbated by technological advancements and climate change, mirrors the stark class divides common in cyberpunk worlds. The increasing power of tech giants and their influence over daily life parallels the corporate-dominated societies often portrayed in the genre.

Conclusion

The convergence of these factors – political authoritarianism, rapid technological advancement, environmental crisis, and widening social divides – creates a reality that increasingly resembles the dystopian futures envisioned in cyberpunk fiction. As we navigate this complex landscape, the genre’s themes of resistance, identity, and the human spirit in the face of overwhelming systems become increasingly relevant to our lived experience.

There are tens of millions of people that subscribe to a single occupation philosophy, and that’s not going to change any time soon. It’s also true that many of us have evolved to be stateless in our endeavors and exploration. We’ve chosen to pursue many things, things that interest us, challenge us, or motivate us.

As we move forward, some things are true… automation is going to increase its footprint exponentially, and it’s going to impact those with a single occupation more than others. Not just in the manual labor, transportation, and retail markets, but in places that are thought to be human exclusive domains.

AI and machines are doing more in music and the arts that you might expect. Everything from composition (Aiva) to performance, and when you consider things like digital effects (Adobe’s magic wand with Sensei AI). That’s not even scratching the surface of the changes coming in the creative arts.

And the medical field? Look up Giovanni Montana’s work in xray and AI. Legal? Luminance and eBravia. This list is a mile long. All of the incredibly lucrative “college required” fields are subject to automation too. Oh, look up Neocis (dentistry).

What about construction? There’s ICON.

This isn’t a bad thing in my opinion – as someone that simply loves and embraces technology of all kinds. It can be alarming if you’re not ready to hear it – but that fear won’t change it.

Here’s a reality check… our current government is not prepared to handle this outcome. Our “leadership” tasked staffers with developing questions to grill Zuckerberg. This is alarming – Zuckerberg runs intellectual HyperLoop powered circles around our government officials. This should be quite alarming to you. If it’s not, it could be that you’re not fully grasping what it means to have people in our government that don’t “do email.” or text at the very least.

We have a chance to change that in 2020. All but one of the candidates running in the democratic race are more of the same, specifically from a technological background. Our country can no longer afford to be led by someone that doesn’t directly understand how to grill someone like Zuckerberg themselves, and publicly. We need leadership that is intellectually comparable to the best minds in technology – and doesn’t have to rely on staff recommendations and lobbyists as their primary data set.

This is why #ISupportAndrewYang in 2020. He’s the only candidate that makes sense for the 21st century. Learn more about Andrew Yang here. #humanityfirst