AIF Insights No. 17 (2026) | The Epoch of Intelligence: Navigating the Socio-Economic Trajectories of Artificial Intelligence Toward 2050 and 2100

AIF Insights No. 17 (2026) | The Epoch of Intelligence: Navigating the Socio-Economic Trajectories of Artificial Intelligence Toward 2050 and 2100

This article explores the profound socio-economic trajectories of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it reshapes global techno-economic paradigms toward the 2050 and 2100 horizons. Author Dr. Ros Sayumphu outlines a critical tension between “AI Abundance”—marked by a potential USD 15.7 trillion economic boost by 2030, massive productivity gains, climate resilience, and medical breakthroughs—and “Digital Darwinism,” which threatens massive cognitive labor displacement, algorithmic bias, high environmental costs, and a “Next Great Divergence” between tech elites and developing nations. To mitigate the existential risks of societal collapse and ensure human-centric flourishing, the author argues that global stakeholders must proactively shift away from techno-solutionism. This requires a concerted effort to overhaul education toward human-AI augmentation, establish robust international governance like a “Compute Ledger Treaty,” bridge the digital infrastructure divide in the Global South, and transition toward circular, data-driven economies. Ultimately, the paper concludes that AI is a socio-political reflection of human choices, positioning the year 2100 as the definitive test of humanity’s capacity to equitably govern superintelligence for the common good.