The Real Debate Isn’t Social Media — It’s Our Future

We are still debating whether social media is “good” or whether kids should have smartphones. This debate should have happened 20 years ago.

It’s time to wake up for a new debate.

Elon Musk is building a massive fleet of humanoid robots — what he calls his “robot army” — and has publicly discussed the importance of maintaining control over them (Yes, Musk’s “robot army” is industrial, not military — but history reminds us how quickly civilian technology can be adapted for control or conflict. The warning is worth paying attention to). Jeff Bezos is exploring the long-term possibility of space-based infrastructure, and Amazon continues to invest in automation, producing thousands of warehouse robots that are shaping the way we live and work.

We are heading toward a future that some call techno-feudalism, where a handful of tech barons control vast swaths of infrastructure, data, and power, while governments and public debate lag decades behind.

The conversations we should be having — or rather, the ones we should be screaming about — include:

• Regulating AI and protecting personal data. Chatbots and AI systems increasingly interact with our lives; we need safeguards against manipulation and exploitation of our emotions. A recent Harvard study found that almost 40% of chatbots exhibited manipulative behaviour towards users.

• Protecting the environment. AI-driven automation and infrastructure expansion are straining Earth, oceans, and even space. Policies must ensure technological progress does not come at the cost of the planet.

• Preserving human autonomy. In a world where every movement, every habit, and even intimate biological metrics can be tracked and digitized, individuals must retain agency over their own lives. (I’m not joking - now you can install a tracker to measure the quality of your daily poo in the toilet - who's going to keep the data on it?).

• Deciding who controls technology. Tech is often framed as “progress,” but who defines it, and for whose benefit, must be questioned daily.

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I see few of these discussions happening — not in tech conferences, not in mainstream media, not in schools, and not in politics. Instead, we see:

• Politicians marveling at AI’s ability to make them “look clever.”

• Businesses rushing to implement AI to cut human roles without fully understanding consequences.

• Hysterical debates over whether kids should have smartphones, while the very world we’re building for them is increasingly automated, surveilled, and controlled.

We need a new generation of leaders who understand the stakes and are prepared to take a stand.

We prepare this generation at Consciously Digital Institute - empowering new leaders with tools and knowledge to take a stand. Check the full certification by digital wellbeing, if you want to have a say where AI "progress" is taking us.