From ChatGPT to chip races, AI reshapes work and thought while sparking global caution
In the history of humankind, few inventions and discoveries have altered human civilisation. The prominent items in the list are fire, wheel, agriculture, iron, shipbuilding, printing press, electricity, crude oil, computer and Internet. The latest addition to this momentous list is artificial intelligence — an invention that is expected to change how humans perform their basic function, i.e. thinking. It is, therefore, fitting for Time magazine to pay a tribute to the architects of artificial intelligence by declaring them as the 2025 Person of the Year.
Though technology companies were aware of AI and its potential and invested enormous amounts of money, the breakout moment came with the launch of ChatGPT, which uses generative models to generate text, images, among others.
In 2025, AI began to change how people think and work. Organisations are deploying it for various purposes such as writing code, managing vehicular traffic, and optimising manufacturing, among others. People used AI for advice on human emotions and medical treatments.
The AI craze set off a race between major technology companies to capture the developing market. It catapulted Nvidia to become the most valuable company in the world for its ability to produce chips that run AI data centres — virtually putting US stock markets on steroids.
Buoyed by the all-around optimism, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang remarked that the AI could increase the size of the global economy from $100 trillion to $500 trillion. While AI is a great invention, one needs to make assessments objectively. AI is still at its infancy, and nobody has any faintest idea about its impact on job seekers or the new job avenues that it will create.
While there is no second opinion about embracing new technologies to stay competitive in the modern world, governments around the world must not lose sight of their primary responsibility — the welfare of people and the protection of Mother Earth. They must evolve a global consensus to develop AI within the confines of these higher objectives and not merely in the pursuit of money.
