AI's expanding role sparks corporate rivalry, geopolitical tension and labor concerns

Artificial intelligence, described as central to the digital and fourth industrial revolutions, now underpins a wide array of sectors including robotics, facial recognition, precision agriculture, cybersecurity, defense, finance and healthcare. The United States' leading firms—Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Apple and Tesla—are locked in a race for AI supremacy, a contest that extends to global powers such as China, Russia, the EU, Japan and South Korea.

The article points to serious challenges such as massive capital spending, rising corporate debt, limited critical-thinking ability of AI models, and the environmental toll of data-center operations. It further raises alarm over AI-enabled cyber-espionage, noting the absence of legal mechanisms to hold autonomous software accountable. On the labor front, AI is expected to cut live work time but may also boost unemployment, foster precarious gig-type arrangements and widen social inequality, prompting calls for reduced working hours, stronger collective bargaining and lifelong digital training. The author argues that coordinated international regulation, possibly through the UN and other multilateral bodies, is essential to harness AI for societal benefit.