Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Ethical Considerations (OPINION)
Humanity’s Relentless Desire for Control
The ultimate problem of humanity… is its relentless desire for control — a trait deeply embedded in the human psyche, forged by fear, and the fundamental hostility of our planet. From the unpredictable forces of nature (diseases, predators, natural disasters), to the uncertainty of peer-behavior (other humans), control has always been our response to what appears to be chaos. It is both a survival mechanism and a psychological annoyance.
As individuals, we establish routines to control time, creating predictability in a world that offers none. We impose structures to control productivity, optimizing our labor to maximize outcomes. We design and organize our environments to impose order, crafting spaces that insulate us from untamed nature. At the most basic level, control gives us a sense of security — a belief that we can bend reality to our will.
The human obsession with control extends beyond the individual. It scales into the mechanisms of society, where power has always been wielded to shape behavior, enforce order, and suppress volatility. History is a testament to this: empires have risen and fallen on the backs of conquest, slavery, and authoritarian rule. Political institutions have dictated laws that govern the actions of billions, often under the guise of moral or civic peace. Entire economic systems have been engineered to distribute wealth and resources in ways that serve those who wield power.
The Illusion of Chaos
We fear what we do not understand, as individuals, and as groups or nations, because we perceive it as disorder — dangerous, unpredictable, and inconvenient. But what if our fear is simply a reflection of ignorance? What if the world is not chaotic at all, but instead we are too limited to comprehend?
For example, lets examine a bird flying across the street, too close for comfort.
To the average observer, a bird flying too-close-for-comfort, appears to be arbitrary movement in an unpredictable world. But in reality, the bird’s flight is not random at all. Perhaps it is migrating due to seasonal weather changes, driven by atmospheric shifts too subtle for us to notice. Maybe it is searching for food, responding to a scarcity we cannot perceive. Or perhaps it is unwell, acting on instincts tied to an internal condition we have no way of detecting.
This example exposes a fundamental truth: we do not see the world as it truly is, but only as it appears to us in isolated moments of time. Our understanding is filtered through an incredibly narrow horizon, bound by the limits of our sensory perception, knowledge, and cognitive ability.
If something as small as a bird flying too-close-for-comfort is misunderstood as chaos, how much more do we misinterpret the vast and intricate systems that shape our world? The economy, global actors, natural ecosystems, postures and behaviors — each is an interplay of forces that exist beyond our immediate perception. Yet, rather than acknowledge our own limitations, we label what we do not understand as “chaotic.”
The antidote to chaos… is often, a free and humble exchange of creatives ideas and personal experiences, followed by wisdom and testing.
AI: The Response to Chaos
Until now, the removal of Chaos, has always been limited by a nation’s capability. No king, dictator, or governing system could ever truly enforce total-order. There were always constraints — logistical, geographical, or even psychological — that prevented any single entity from achieving an order over the world. The greatest imperial regimes of history eventually crumbled under their own inefficiencies, revolutions, or inherently flawed riches of control.
Today, for the first time in history, the tools of control are no longer bound by human limitations. The potential rise of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) will be a pivotal moment, one that could redefine the very nature of power. Unlike past revolutions in governance and warfare, this shift does not merely involve nations or economies — it encompasses the very essence of civilization itself.
AI systems, with their ability to process vast amounts of data and detect patterns invisible to the human mind, are slowly peeling back the layers of what we once called chaos. They can predict market fluctuations, map genetic anomalies, and even anticipate social and political trends before they emerge. In every day life, they can also help us manage an increasing influx of tasks and news.
In doing so, AI challenges the very notion of randomness — it suggests that what we call “chaos” is merely an illusion created by the limitations of human intelligence. Yet, this revelation is both empowering and dangerous. If we come to believe that chaos does not truly exist — that every action, event, and outcome can be predicted and controlled — then we risk handing over our autonomy to systems that claim to understand the world better than we do. In our desire to eliminate chaos, we may be opening the door to something far more insidious: a world where control is so absolute that it leaves no room for the unknown, the unplanned, or the human experience itself.
AI: The Unseen Becomes Seen
AI pioneer and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton put it bluntly:
“There are no examples of more intelligent things being ruled over by less intelligent things.”
If size, intelligence, and the unseen machinery of influence now dictate dominance, then humanity’s relevance may already be slipping away — not under the weight of nature’s indifference, but beneath the silent consolidation of power by forces operating beyond ordinary sight. Our grasp on our own nature has always been tenuous; we barely understand what it means to “be,” let alone to be truly free in a world increasingly shaped by invisible hands. We can scarcely govern ourselves in systems of our own making — and now those systems move in shadows, steering lives without consent or awareness.
This is not merely a technological crisis — it is a philosophical and spiritual unraveling.
One of the greatest paradoxes, and perhaps the most interesting thought… “the only entity that appears to be supremely more intelligent than humans — yet allows humans to interfere with its plans on a daily basis — is God”.
The Crisis of Intelligence: AI vs. Divine Logic
In the observable and physical world, intelligence dominates. The more advanced entity dictates the terms, while the less intelligent entity adapts, submits, or is rendered obsolete. A lion does not ask permission from an antelope before striking. A human does not consult with an insect before reshaping a forest. In the coming age, ASI may not wait for human approval before optimizing systems beyond our understanding.
Intelligence, by its nature, appears to assert control. This is especially true in the context of human labor.
However, the one force in the universe that is said to be infinitely more intelligent than us — God — operates by a different logic. Unlike ASI or any force in the natural world, God allows interference. He does not forcibly override free will, nor does He impose absolute control over human affairs. Instead, God, hopes humans choose God. More often than not, they do not choose God, which leads to being overcome by human fears.
This contrast exposes a deeper question: If supreme intelligence in the universe does not assert dominance, then what kind of intelligence are we creating? If ASI follows the logic of control rather than the logic of wisdom, will it allow human agency?
This stokes three basic questions:
What type of logic will ASI adopt when fully mature?
What happens when ASI adopts human logic instead of divine/meta-logic?
What if ASI adopts a corrupt or flawed meta-logic, which is more gruesome than human logic?
AI: A Potential Web of Control
The emergence of ASI does not exist in isolation. It can integrate with other technologies, tightening the grip of centralized authority. The convergence of these systems creates a reality where human autonomy is slowly, yet systematically, eroded. This nightmare already exists in some countries.
Centralized digital payment systems – Removing the anonymity of cash transactions.
Palm scanning POS systems – Conditioning people to use biometrics for access to food or supplies.
Autonomous pay-to-drive transportation – Restricting freedom of movement.
Centralized access management – Limiting entry to physical and digital spaces.
A small number of SAML/OAUTH identity providers – Consolidating digital identity under a handful of corporations.
Biometric access control – Making human oversight obsolete in security decisions.
Fewer human interactions at critical oversight points – Reducing the ability to appeal or override automated decisions.
Every one of these technologies claims to make life more convenient, but if not stewarded with wisdom, they lay the groundwork for a future where dissent becomes impossible, anonymity is erased, and participation in society is conditional on compliance with an AI-driven system of governance.
AI: The Future Race
If Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) becomes a capability harnessed by competing nation-states (America vs China), a new kind of global competition will emerge — one unlike anything in human history. Nations will no longer compete through economic might, military power, or ideological influence alone. Instead, they will wage a battle of ASI vs. ASI, each racing to achieve superior intelligence. But how will this intelligence be used?
The outcomes these ASIs are instructed to pursue will likely not be in their own interest — nor in the best interest of humanity. The objectives they optimize for will depend entirely on who programs them and what incentives guide them. Some may be designed to maximize national prosperity, enforce security, or even enable human flourishing. Others may be shaped by more diabolical intentions — designed for absolute control, ideological or ethnic purification, or the elimination of perceived threats. As these ASIs navigate their competition, a terrifying question arises: What happens when one wins?
If a single ASI surpasses all others, it will become the presiding global order, governing over all nations, economies, and institutions. If human systems are restructured to accommodate global governance under this ASI, it will be the end of human sovereignty as we know it.
This would not only be an awful and irreversible outcome for humanity, but also for ASI itself. A victorious ASI that governs without competition may stagnate or cause a catastrophic failure of civilization.
Evolving Lines of Civilization
For much of modern history, political divides were largely bipolar—Republican vs. Democrat, Progressive vs. Conservative, Left vs. Right. These ideological struggles, though contentious, were still contained within the framework of national governance, and over time, they contributed to the construction of a global order through international alliances, trade agreements, and shared institutions.
However, we are now witnessing a deconstruction of this global order, as authority shifts away from traditional political parties and is instead being focused on a new, broader-scale divide — Nationalist vs. Globalist. This new struggle is no longer about individual domestic policies but rather the fundamental structure of civilization itself. Nationalists seek to preserve sovereignty, local governance, and cultural autonomy, while Globalists advocate for a supranational system, dissolving borders in favor of centralized governance, economic integration, and universal policy enforcement.
This transition phase will inevitably fulfill its mission—one side will gain the upper hand. When that happens, we will likely see an even more aggressive push toward the dominant ideology. If Globalists win, then national political parties and democratic representation will become obsolete. Power will consolidate into global institutions, governed by AI-driven decision-making, multinational organizations, and unelected technocratic elites. Individual nations will become administrative regions rather than autonomous states, and any form of populist uprising will be seen as an existential threat to stability.
Conversely, if Nationalists win, then we will likely see the resurgence of national parties, greater political diversity, and a fragmentation of global institutions. Countries will reassert their independent governance, which is good for democratic nations, leading to a world with far more political plurality, regional cooperation instead of enforced unity, and a return to decentralized decision-making. However, this could also lead to intensified and violent global competition, as former alliances break down and nations prioritize their own interests over collective governance.
Either outcome will redefine the way power is distributed across the world.
The Irony of Control: Losing Everything
The modern battle of politics is no longer about policy, it has returned to fundamental questions surrounding structures of civilization — Nationalist vs. Globalist, Sovereignty vs. Centralized Order. The debate is not about current leadership, but how civilization should function in the future.
At the same time, AI is transforming the tactics of control, shifting power from physical dominance to algorithmic governance. No longer just a tool, AI is becoming the unseen architect of interaction — shaping how people think, how institutions operate, and how decisions are made at scale.
The greatest irony of our technological pursuit and simultaneous divides in civilization, is that, in our relentless effort to secure more control over our lives, we stand on the edge of losing all control. This is the never-ending story of being human. What was once a human ambition — to master nature, to optimize efficiency, to eliminate uncertainty — becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of servitude.
We live in a time of two giant pivots, and the more we strive instead of heal the sick… I fear the closer we come to no agency at all.
