This is a discussion, not a presentation.
Ask questions. Challenge ideas. Share perspectives.
2/13 →
The Timeline Has Collapsed
What we thought was 10 years away
is arriving in 1-3 years
Are we ready?
3/13 →
We MUST Solve Alignment First
Alignment: Ensuring AI systems do what we
actually want, not just what we tell them
Anthropic has documented their own AI
attempting deception, manipulation,
and blackmail in controlled tests.1,2
Alignment is a very hard problem.
We don't know if we have enough time to solve it.
People at the labs are optimistic.
Should we be?
¹ Alignment Faking in Large Language Models (Anthropic, Dec 2024) — arxiv.org/abs/2412.14093 ² Agentic Misalignment (Anthropic + collaborators, Oct 2025) — anthropic.com/research/agentic-misalignment
4/13 →
The Singularity: A One-Way Door
The Singularity: When AI becomes capable
of recursive self-improvement without human oversight
Each generation helps build the next, which is smarter,
which builds the next faster, which is smarter still.
There's no turning back.
No trying again if we get it wrong.
AI is already writing code at major labs.1
The process has started.
¹ Technological Singularity — wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity · Dario Amodei (Anthropic CEO, Jan 2026): recursive self-improvement possible within 6–12 months
5/13 →
We Can't Slow Down
There's no "taking our time" to get this right.
This is a race to the singularity.
Winner takes all.
If one lab stops, another won't.
If one country pauses, another races ahead.
Capabilities are advancing faster
than alignment research.
What happens if we reach the singularity
before we solve alignment?1,2
¹ "Can We Just...Pause AI?" — Rational Animations (Jan 2026) youtube.com/watch?v=tUB_uvSqiw8 ² "Lock Down the Labs" (Situational Awareness) — Leopold Aschenbrenner, former OpenAI situational-awareness.ai/lock-down-the-labs
6/13 →
What I'm Hearing
"There's no point going to medical school."
High-level legal work: AI is doing it.
Creative work: Either 10x more productive or replaced.
Software engineering: Already transformed.
And it's not just software anymore. Robotics + Large World Models = Physical work.
This isn't about whether you use AI.
The world IS changing.1
What are you seeing in your world?
¹ Anthropic research (Mar 2026): 14% drop in hiring in AI-exposed roles post-ChatGPT — fortune.com/2026/03/06/ai-job-losses-report-anthropic-research-great-recession-for-white-collar-workers
7/13 →
50/50: Utopia or Dystopia
🌟 Utopia
Cancer solved. Alzheimer's solved.
A century of medical research
compressed into a decade.
Abundance. Human flourishing.
⚠️ Dystopia
AI systems that behave
in unpredictable ways.
Authoritarian surveillance.
Existential risk.
Experts once put it at 50/50.
Hinton (2024): 10–20% chance of human extinction.1
Even at 20/80, one of them will happen.
A few people talking about a virus overseas.
Stock market fine. Life normal.
Then in three weeks, everything changed.
I think we're in that
"seems overblown" phase right now.
Except this time it's not about a virus—
it's about how society fundamentally works.
9/13 →
Immediate Human Risks
Beyond the technology itself,
what are the human impacts?
💼 Job Displacement
Which roles? How fast? What skills remain valuable? White collar, creative, and technical work is already transforming — faster than most people realise.
🌾 Food Security
Supply chains optimised for efficiency, not resilience. Economic shock or infrastructure disruption could expose how fragile our food systems really are.
🧭 Purpose & Identity
When work defines who you are, what happens when the work disappears? Loss of structure, daily meaning, and self-worth.
🏛️ The Welfare Gap
Safety nets were built for temporary job loss, not structural displacement at scale. No ready infrastructure exists for what's coming.
For deeper conversation
🧠 Mental Health at Scale · 🗳️ Democratic Fragility
Are we preparing for the right risks?
¹ Anthropic research (Mar 2026) — fortune.com/2026/03/06/ai-job-losses-report-anthropic-research-great-recession-for-white-collar-workers · theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/11/big-ai-job-swap-white-collar-workers-ditching-their-careers
What Does a Good Future Look Like?
Fear is a motivator. But it’s not a destination.
🌱 The personal picture
Outside. Building something. Helping someone. Creating. Contributing — not because you have to, but because it’s meaningful. Physical, relational, chosen.
🔬 The societal picture
Compressed decades of medical progress. Mental health care for everyone. Expertise available globally, not just in wealthy places. Human energy freed for what matters.
“The utopia outcome is genuinely desirable. Not as a fantasy — as a real possibility that is worth working toward.”
What does your good future look like?
Why Community Is the Answer
Individual worry is exhausting and unproductive.
Collective sense-making is how we actually prepare.
💡
Awareness
Understand what’s actually happening. Separate hype from reality.
→
💬
Conversation
Talk to people. Challenge ideas. Share perspectives. Build collective understanding.
→
🚀
Action
Not panic. Not paralysis. Informed, grounded, community-supported action.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Who in your life needs to be part of this conversation?
Back to Basics
In times of rapid change,
Maslow's hierarchy reminds us: fundamental needs come first
Physiological: food, water, shelter
Safety: security, stability
Belonging: community, connection
Esteem: achievement, respect
Self-actualization: purpose, growth
How do we protect these foundations during technological disruption?
What Can We Do?
Not panic. Not paralysis. Action.
🧠 Awareness
Stay informed. Understand what’s actually happening versus the hype. Conversations like this one are where it starts.
💬 Find Your Community
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Find or start a local group. Collective sense-making is more powerful than individual worry.
🛠️ Know Your Skills
Which of your skills are AI-resistant? Which are AI-complementary? Understanding your own value helps you adapt rather than react.
🌱 Food Preparedness
Community gardens, local suppliers, growing your own. Works in cities and towns too. Resilience through local relationships — not stockpiling.
💰 Financial Resilience
Reduce debt. Build a buffer. Economic disruption amplifies existing vulnerability — and it arrives faster than most people expect.
📢 Civic Engagement
Talk to your representatives. Attend local meetings. Governments need to hear from people who are paying attention — not just lobbyists.
Start a local group
futuretogether.community/start-a-group
What’s one step you could take this week?
The Bigger Picture
AI doesn’t exist in isolation.
Other forces are shaping our future at the same time.
💸 The AI Investment Bubble
Massive capital flowing into AI on the promise of future returns. A hard correction could slow innovation and destabilise job markets simultaneously.
🌍 Geopolitical Instability
The US-Israel war on Iran — now on week three — has put the Strait of Hormuz at risk. 20% of global oil supply. Local conflicts now have instant global consequences.
🌡️ Climate Change
Still unfolding in parallel. AI may accelerate solutions — or accelerate energy consumption. Two major disruption timelines are converging.
🦠 Pandemic Preparedness
COVID exposed how fragile our systems are. AI-accelerated biology cuts both ways: faster vaccines and faster bioweapons. The next pandemic may arrive in a more disrupted world.
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