Dear One World Friends
In this podcast, Ajeya Cotra, Senior AI Advisor at Open Philanthropy, tells us from minute 6:15 that she thinks that “there is a pretty good chance that by 2050 the world will look as different from today as today does from the hunter-gatherer era. It’s like 10,000 years of progress driven by AI automating all intellectual activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19UEZHJzAg&t=65s
No one should have any doubt that we are currently living through the most significant technological shift in human history. As of 2026, Artificial Intelligence is no longer a “future” concept; it is actively reshaping our economy, our geopolitical landscape, and the very nature of work.
However, as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently warned, we remain at 85 seconds to midnight. Our students are graduating into a world defined by a “scarcity mindset”—where 193 nation-states compete for resources with nuclear stakes—while simultaneously holding the keys to a future of Sustainable Super Abundance.
The Gap in Education. Most futurists describe a utopian “There” without explaining the “How.” They paint a picture of a world without poverty or disease but fail to provide a roadmap for the transition. We are inviting your students to fill that gap.
The Project: From Here to There. We are launching a Global Conversation that challenges high school students to design a transition pathway. Using our foundational text, The Great Transition to Sustainable Super Abundance, and a curated list of modern AI literature, students will:
- Analyze Critical Risks: Understand the “Alignment Problem” and the pressures of the Doomsday Clock.
- Apply Exponential Tech: Research how AI, fusion, and biotech can practically eliminate scarcity.
- Design Diplomatic Solutions: Propose how competitive nation-states can transition toward global collaboration.
Curriculum Alignment: This project fulfills key learning objectives across multiple disciplines:
- Civics & Government: Exploring global treaties and the evolution of the nation-state.
- Economics: Transitioning from labor-based markets to zero-marginal-cost models.
- Science & Tech: Understanding the mechanics and ethics of Generative AI and AGI.
- Philosophy/Ethics: Defining human values in a machine-led era.
Best regards,
Joe
