May 17, 2022 - Technology
New Ian Bremmer book unpacks globe's "biggest risk of all"
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Cover: Simon & Schuster
Ian Bremmer writes in "The Power of Crisis," out Tuesday, that the globe's three great threats are the next pandemic ... the climate emergency ... and the unexpected impact of disruptive technologies:
- "The speed of technological change is the biggest risk of all," writes Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group. "Companies are now using artificial intelligence to figure out the most efficient ways to change human behavior in ways that profit them."
- "New technologies are already changing what it means to be human — and we have no idea where that might lead."
"The lead US and Chinese tech companies are central players in the drama that will determine whether the world descends into a new Cold War or heads toward a much more hopeful future," Bremmer adds.
- "No other non-state actors today or arguably in history have come close to this kind of geopolitical influence."
"We've reached a crossroads," Bremmer writes:
[U]nprecedented global challenges aren't lurking somewhere in our future; they're here today. Climate change will intensify, no matter what we do, and its effects will be felt everywhere. Much of our planet is becoming hostile to life. The wealthiest countries and people will spend all they can to shield themselves from the worst effects of this unfolding calamity, but the upheaval and misery will continue.
Only a global response can limit the damage," Bremmer says. "Our leaders in politics, business, and philanthropy must compromise, cooperate, and coordinate in new ways."
