At the heart of Goudat’s warning is a powerful thesis—AI will be everywhere, and there will be no way to opt out. He draws parallels between AI and other transformative technologies like electricity or the internet but suggests that AI is even more pervasive, insidious, and uncontainable.
Let’s break this message down:
AI will permeate every industry.
AI will influence personal decisions, sometimes without our knowledge.
AI will become embedded in infrastructure, making disengagement impossible.
The social contract itself will evolve to accommodate AI.
This is not just about robots taking jobs. It’s about AI becoming the “operating system” of society.
AI is transforming job markets globally. In sectors like finance, customer service, logistics, and healthcare, AI tools already outperform humans in terms of speed, accuracy, and cost.
Customer Service: AI chatbots handle millions of customer queries daily, reducing the need for human agents.
Recruitment: Resume screening algorithms make hiring decisions long before a human recruiter gets involved.
Healthcare: AI diagnoses diseases using medical imaging and predictive analytics, often with better accuracy than doctors.
By 2030, AI is expected to automate up to 40% of current job tasks across various sectors. Whether you’re a truck driver, accountant, or even a journalist, AI is knocking on your door.
AI is no longer just a support tool—it’s becoming the instructor itself.
Adaptive learning platforms like Duolingo and Khan Academy now use AI to tailor education to each learner’s pace and style.
Automated grading systems assess essays, coding submissions, and even class participation using machine learning.
Goudat warns that AI will redefine what it means to learn—shifting from human mentorship to machine-led instruction, potentially altering the cognitive development of future generations.
One of the most alarming areas of AI implementation is in public policy and law enforcement.
Predictive policing tools analyze crime data to predict where offenses are likely to occur, influencing patrols and arrests.
AI-powered surveillance systems can track facial expressions, movements, and behaviors in real-time.
Governments in China, the U.S., and even democratic Europe are increasingly using AI to monitor, manage, and influence citizen behavior. As Goudat puts it: “You may choose to avoid AI, but AI won’t avoid you.”
From your news feed to your Netflix suggestions, AI algorithms decide what you see and when you see it.
Recommendation systems shape your worldview by filtering what content gets attention.
Deepfakes and AI-generated media distort the boundaries between truth and fiction.
Sentiment analysis tools monitor your reactions and subtly nudge your online behavior.
Goudat notes that the digital persona you project is co-created by AI, which interprets, amplifies, or suppresses your voice in the algorithmic public square.
One of Goudat’s most striking warnings is not technological but psychological: AI is reshaping the human mind.
As AI takes over tasks and decisions, humans may lose their sense of agency. Why make a choice when an algorithm can make it better?
Meal suggestions
Dating matches
Financial investments
Over time, the “automation of decision-making” could erode our ability to think critically and independently.
With AI generating art, music, code, and even emotions (via chatbots), people may question what it means to be human.
Are we creators? Or are we just data points?
Goudat warns that AI will blur the boundary between the authentic and the artificial, leading to an existential crisis for entire generations.
In his keynote, Goudat described the future as an “AI prison with invisible walls.” Unlike a traditional prison, you won’t know you’re inside it. You’ll feel empowered by convenience while being constantly monitored, analyzed, and nudged.
He outlines four layers of this “prison”:
Data Chains – Every action you take feeds the machine. Your data is the raw material of your digital confinement.
Predictive Walls – AI anticipates your next move and designs environments accordingly.
Behavioral Programming – Through nudges and notifications, AI engineers your desires.
Perception Filters – You only see what the algorithm allows, shaping your worldview.
Despite the dystopian vision, Goudat doesn’t advocate abandoning AI. Instead, he calls for ethical resistance and regulatory frameworks to balance innovation with human values.
Governments must enact laws to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI deployment. This includes:
Data privacy regulations
Explainable AI requirements
Ethical review boards for algorithms
Goudat emphasizes the importance of keeping humans in control. Instead of AI replacing humans, it should augment human intelligence and decision-making.
Societies must equip citizens with the knowledge to understand, question, and challenge AI systems. This includes:
Teaching AI basics in schools
Promoting digital critical thinking
Encouraging public participation in AI policy
In a deeply philosophical turn, Goudat asks: “If machines think, feel, and create—what remains for us?”
He proposes that the answer lies not in competing with AI but in cultivating what machines lack:
Empathy
Consciousness
Spiritual connection
Moral reasoning
As AI becomes more capable, humans must go deeper—into values, purpose, and meaning.
Another critical concern raised by Goudat is AI colonialism—where a few powerful tech nations dominate the AI landscape, while developing countries become passive consumers.
Most foundational AI models are developed in the U.S. and China.
Nations without access to data or infrastructure are left behind.
Languages, cultures, and perspectives are filtered through Western algorithms.
To escape this neo-colonial trap, Goudat calls for AI sovereignty, where each region builds culturally relevant, inclusive AI systems.
Goudat ends his warning with a clear call to action:
“AI is not a storm to be weathered—it is the climate in which we now live. You can’t stop the wind, but you can build a sail. The future belongs not to those who escape AI, but to those who shape it with wisdom, courage, and compassion.”
This is not a prophecy of doom. It is a challenge—a call for humanity to rise to the occasion.
“No one can escape AI.” Goudat’s words ring with urgency, clarity, and a touch of prophecy. AI is not merely a tool or a trend—it is the fabric of a new reality. It is shaping how we think, live, work, and relate to one another.
The future, therefore, demands not passivity but participation. While we may not escape AI, we can guide its evolution, ensuring that technology serves humanity—not the other way around.
