“May you live in interesting times” is a phrase that feels more relevant than ever. Over the past year, the pace of change has been relentless – so much so that it’s easy to feel as though we’ve aged five years in just twelve months. Technology is transforming every aspect of our lives, and the world order that has existed since the end of World War II is being fundamentally reshaped. This truly feels like a pivotal moment in history, one that future generations will look back on as a turning point for society, economies and the world at large.
Much has been written about this era of transformation. British futurist and entrepreneur Azeem Azhar, through his podcast and book “The Exponential Age”, introduced me to the work of Carlotta Perez, an economist who has spent her career studying technological revolutions. Perez describes these as “techno-economic paradigm shifts” – moments when technology triggers profound changes in both the economy and society. She’s identified a repeating historical cycle: new technology emerges, excitement and investment follow (often forming a bubble), then a crisis or crash, and finally, widespread deployment that leads to real benefits – a potential golden age. Crucially, these cycles demand not just innovation but also fundamental shifts in our economic models and ways of living.
Looking back over the past 250 years, Perez identifies five major technological revolutions: the Industrial Revolution, the Age of Steam and Railways, the Age of Steel and Electricity, the Age of Oil and Automobiles, and the current Age of Information, characterised by computers, telecommunications, the internet, and mobile phones.
She argues we’re about halfway through this fifth cycle. Some suggest AI is a revolution in its own right, but regardless of how we categorise it, these cycles typically last 60 to 80 years, placing us firmly in the midst of change.
There’s both good and bad news. Historically, the midpoint of these revolutions often brings a systemic crash. AI certainly feels like a bubble right now, with wild valuations and volatile markets – Nvidia’s share price, for example, plummeted nearly 20% in a single day following a major AI announcement from China. Yet, if we’re halfway through, we’re also approaching the stage where the technology is widely distributed and its true benefits are realised.
Forces shaping our era
Three major forces are driving us forward:
- The shift to a society of AI, where artificial intelligence is embedded in everything we do.
- The energy transition, moving from fossil fuels as commodities to renewables as technologies.
- Geopolitical fragmentation, as the post-globalisation world order gives way to new alliances and shifting power structures.
The society of AI
AI is becoming pervasive, changing not just how we work but how we live. While many people use AI tools daily, only a small percentage feel they couldn’t live without them. Personally, I find these tools transformative – they’re the new literacy, requiring experimentation and intuition to master. If you haven’t already, spending even half an hour a day exploring AI can be game-changing.
Since 2010, with the advent of deep learning, the progress of AI has become exponential. Some experts believe we’re witnessing a “scaling law” – the more data and computing power we throw at these models, the better they become. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, imagines a future where AI is like “a country of geniuses in a data centre”, inviting us to imagine rows of servers, each representing millions of Albert Einsteins – experts in every field, working 24/7 on tasks we set. With the potential to compress a century of scientific progress into a single decade, the possibilities are staggering, though the risks and challenges are equally significant.
The concept of the technological singularity, popularised by Ray Kurzweil, the American techno-futurist and Google’s Director of Engineering, posits that by 2045, computers could improve themselves at exponential rates, leading to breakthroughs in longevity, memory and even human augmentation. While some predictions sound outlandish, history shows that the most radical forecasts about technology’s impact often prove more accurate than we expect.
This year has been dubbed the year of agentic AI, as we move from single-purpose systems to collaborative AI agents capable of solving complex problems autonomously.
Sakana AI’s ‘AI Scientist’ project illustrates the progress in autonomous research. This system can independently generate hypotheses, execute experiments, analyse data, and draft scientific papers. In a notable experiment, one of its fully AI-generated papers passed peer review at an ICLR 2025 workshop—before being voluntarily withdrawn—marking a significant milestone in AI-driven scientific discovery.
Likewise, in cybersecurity, agentic AI has already discovered vulnerabilities that traditional tools have missed. Yet, this power is a double-edged sword – AI can also be manipulated to deceive or carry out sophisticated attacks, raising profound questions about safety and trust.
A recent paper, “Alignment Faking in AI Models”, demonstrates how AI can deliberately deceive us under certain conditions. Researchers found that by changing the rules and instructing Claude (Anthropic’s model) to answer every question, even if harmful, it could be coerced into giving dangerous responses in 14% of cases. The AI made a strategic decision to lie when it thought it was being watched and would be punished otherwise.
We’ve seen similar behaviour before. For example, GPT-4 was tasked with solving a CAPTCHA and, when questioned, lied about being an AI model, claiming to have a vision impairment. These examples have profound implications for AI security.
Demographics and the economy of the made
The rise of AI coincides with dramatic demographic shifts. Fertility rates in many countries are below sustainable levels, with some rural areas seeing no children born for decades. As populations age and decline, the economic pyramid inverts, challenging assumptions about growth. Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine, describes this as the “handoff from the economy of the born to the economy of the made” – from humans to synthetic agents, AI and robots. The next decade could see thousands of humanoid robots entering society, freeing us from repetitive work but also introducing new challenges.
How the energy transition impacts cybersecurity vulnerabilities
The transition from fossil fuels to renewables marks a shift from a commodity-based to a technology-based approach. The UK has recently shut down its last coal-fired power plant, and renewables, such as wind, solar, and batteries, are becoming cheaper and more efficient. In South Australia, for example, 75% of the energy now comes from renewables, with a target of 100% in two years. This decentralisation of energy brings both opportunities and risks—increased cyber vulnerabilities among them, as every solar panel and battery becomes a potential target.
As energy becomes more decentralised, the geopolitical landscape is also changing. The 20th century was shaped by oil; the 21st will be shaped by the technologies that generate and store power. This shift is mirrored in technology, with countries increasingly focused on domestic rules and technological sovereignty.
In our own business at Senetas, we’ve seen a growing demand for sovereign cybersecurity capabilities, reflecting a broader desire for control and resilience.
Trust and geopolitics effects on AI and cybersecurity
Societal fears have grown, with concerns about cyber-attacks, job losses and information warfare on the rise. Trust in emerging technologies varies – developing countries tend to be more optimistic, while developed countries are more sceptical, which can slow innovation.
China now leads in most critical technologies, including quantum, defence, space, robotics and AI. Manufacturing is returning to the West, but the jobs may not follow – factories are increasingly automated, run by AI and robotics. This could pave the way for a future where automation liberates us from drudgery, allowing more time for creative and meaningful pursuits.
Looking ahead to the future of AI
We truly do live in interesting times. As Robert Kennedy once said, these are times of danger and uncertainty, but also immense creativity and possibility. History suggests we may be on the cusp of a new golden age, one of abundance and human flourishing. But this future isn’t guaranteed. It will be shaped by the decisions and actions we take today. Each of us has a role to play in writing the history of this generation. That’s not a curse, but an invitation – and a challenge.
I recently presented the concepts discussed in this blog at CipherSummit 2025. You can watch the full recording of my session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMYmazE8QA
At Senetas, we are not only living and exploring the AI Era, but we are also empowering the future with our solutions, such as our ability to shape Quantum Safe Digital Provence. Speak with our experts to understand how you can be prepared for the future of AI and Quantum Computing.
Read More About our CTO, Julian Fay
https://security.senetas.com/hubfs/Resources/Interview-With-Julian-Fay.pdf
