An ex-Google executive has issued a stark warning to the world about our imminent future.
It's a terrifying prospect, but according to Mo Gawdat, it's almost certain that we'll be living in a dystopian world sooner rather than later.
Humans have long worried about the advancement of technology and the capabilities it may develop - all you need to do is watch any of the Terminator or Matrix films.
Gawdat was the chief business officer for Google X, a semi-secret research and development organisation which is now known as X Development LLC.
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Having joined Google in 2007 and having worked there for years, it's fair to say that the Egyptian entrepreneur might know a thing or two about tech and AI.
And during an appearance on the Diary of a CEO, the businessman didn't have many positive things to say about our future.
Speaking to host Steven Bartlett, he revealed: "The next 12 to 15 years, we are going to hit a short-term dystopia. There's no escaping that."
When asked to define what that might be, he said that they are essentially 'adverse circumstances that unfortunately might escalate beyond our control'.
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Gawdat even claimed that aspects such as 'freedom, accountability, human connection, equality, economics, reality, innovation, business, and power' could be redefined and 'completely changed'.
Shockingly, though, the former Google executive claimed that it has nothing to do with AI, despite the cries from the general public about its potential capabilities.
"It's determined by the morality of humanity in the age of the rise of AI," he stated.
He explained that we'll get over the 'hump' of 'bad actors' using AI, reiterating that he is totally convinced of a long-term utopia eventually, suggesting that 'we will have to prepare for a world that is very unfamiliar'.
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Gawdat said that he forecasts the length of the dystopia at exactly 12 to 15 years, on a slope that will begin in 2027.
"We will see escalating signs next year and then a clear slip in 2027," before being asked why this is.
He added: "You really have to think deeply about not the symptoms but the reasons why we are living the world that we live in here in today - is money."
Basically, it's time to prepare for the worst, though you might not be too fussed as the changes around us have already begun, and we could already be numb to it.
Topics: Google, AI, Technology
Joshua Nair