This keynote on my 2026 topic of “Taking Back Tomorrow” explores humanity's pivotal moment amidst exponential scientific breakthroughs. I examine the global power shift and the rise of AI, posing critical questions about its impact.

Humanity currently stands at its most critical “pivot point” in modern history, facing a stark divergence between a future of unlimited potential—where we solve cancer, and other diseases and achieve unlimited energy—and a dystopian reality characterized by techno-authoritarianism and the loss of control over artificial intelligence. I argue that the “old economic logic” of capitalism, driven exclusively by profit, growth, and power as the key objective, is dangerously unfit for this era of MULTIPLE exponential technological changes.

If we continue to apply this outdated economic framework to revolutionary advancements like AI, genomics, synthetic biology and quantum computing, we will fuel an “arms race” that prioritizes corporate valuations over human well-being, leading to a scenario where the dehumanization of the workforce is treated as a profitable “feature” rather than a bug. REMINDER: “The wolf you feed is the wolf that wins“.

We are ceding control to tech giants like OpenAI, whose objective is to create “artificial general intelligence” and make their products the “operating system for our lives”—an ambition that threatens to reduce complex human society to manageable data points. In this talk, I warn against the seductive trap of “techno-optimism,” which falsely promises that every problem has a technical solution (see Marc Andreessen) and the increasing acceptance of “AI slop” – where “good enough” efficiency replaces human quality and consciousness. We risk eroding democracy and creating a world where we serve the tools, rather than the tools serving us.

To avoid this existential theft of our human nature and agency, I think we must actively “take back the future” by shifting to the new socio-economic paradigm of “People, Planet, Purpose, Peace and Prosperity“. This requires a massive investment in “human alignment”— what I call the 3Ts: Truth, Trust and Telos—to ensure that while machines may be able to handle some routines, humans retain the “telos” or purpose.

NOVO: Spanish AI Dub Version (don't cringe, it's actually pretty good)

El Pais Coverage: Aqui e aqui