Artificial intelligence promises extraordinary benefits for those with access to its capabilities but raises troubling questions about the future of work for millions of others. William Nobrega, author and former Special Forces Green Beret, sees a stark division forming – one that echoes Charles Dickens’ classic novel. His forthcoming book “A Perfect World” examines this potential social divide and the sobering challenges that may lie ahead.
Drawing Parallels to a Divided Future
William draws a compelling parallel between our technological future and a literary classic. “It’s going to be a tale of an incredibly amazing time for those people that have access to artificial intelligence and by extension robotics and genetic engineering,” he explains. “It’s going to be a very bad time for everyone else.” This divide worries William deeply. As AI and robotics advance rapidly, he sees fundamental changes coming to labor markets worldwide. “There won’t be much need for low-skilled labor. Robotics, again empowered by AI, will pretty much wipe out the low-skilled labor market. That’s globally, not just the US or the UK,” he points out.
The evidence is already emerging in places like Dallas, where William notes, “There’s already a fully automated Burger King. There are no workers.” This technological shift will likely impact numerous sectors first, including “agriculture, fast food, call centers” – leaving a troubling question: “What are we going to do with all those people?”
Watching the Technological Gap Widen
The pace of change concerns William as much as the change itself. With investments pouring into AI infrastructure, including specialized power facilities, the momentum seems unstoppable. “Elon Musk has his concerns, but we can’t stop AI because we’ve just invested another 500 billion dollars into this,” he notes. William believes this technological revolution extends beyond AI alone. “Genetic engineering, which would be empowered by AI – we will have designer babies,” he predicts. “As a father of a son who’s on a full academic scholarship at MIT, there’s going to be the haves and the have-nots.”
This division may eventually extend beyond Earth. “I think this dystopia will grow, and it’ll be accelerated by things like the colonization of Mars,” William suggests. “We’re not going to send the homeless to Mars or fentanyl addicts. We’re going to send the best and the brightest.”
Preserving Human Creativity
Despite these concerns, William sees potential paths forward for those who might otherwise be left behind. Looking to history for guidance, he observes, “If we look back to the middle ages, there was always a need for skilled artisans. The Sistine Chapel and many other works of art were not created by robotics or AI.” He believes human creativity will retain its value. “I think there’s always going to be a place for human intelligence – our creativity more than anything else,” William says. “We’ll always need artisans. We’re going to need people that can build beautiful homes or paint great art.”
William emphasizes that society must address these issues sooner rather than later. “I think we have to have a conversation very soon as to how this is going to impact humankind,” he urges. “We can’t put the genie back in the bottle. It’s not going to happen, but we can use it wisely.” The potential consequences of avoiding this dialogue are sobering. William points to existing social challenges as warning signs: “We see it with the homeless in LA and San Francisco. The riots in Milwaukee – that’s a harbinger of what is really to come.”
For William, the parallel with gated communities in Brazil offers a troubling glimpse of what might await. “There’s a community in Brazil called Alphaville,” he explains. “Inside that town is a perfect world. They don’t have any interaction with the countless homeless or poor that inhabit the same space. I think that’s where we’re headed, and that’s a dystopian future.”
Connect with William Nobrega on LinkedIn to explore more insights on AI, technology, and the future of work.
