Jeffrey Sachs: AI and Geopolitics | "All the wealth could go to the ones at the top!"

Artificial intelligence won’t just change jobs — it could rewrite the balance of global power.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs has been in the room where the world’s most consequential decisions get made. For four decades, he’s advised more than 100 governments, from Poland’s transition out of communism to the United Nations’ fight against poverty and disease. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In this conversation, Sachs and I dive into: *AI’s entanglement with the military-industrial complex *Why AI may drive wealth concentration and lower wages *The risk of an “AI aristocracy of trillionaires” *How China is leapfrogging the U.S. technologically *Two possible futures: mass misery or an age of abundance

📌 Watch until the end — Sachs shares what YOU can do in the next 1–5 years to make a positive impact.

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💬 5 Best Quotes “Every American understands the game is rigged right now. If you’re rich, you own government. If you’re poor, you look on like a helpless observer.”

“The dystopian idea that all the money goes to the top is not an impossible outcome of AI.”

“If only Elon and a few buddies own the machines, we’re in a shitload of trouble.”

“AI really does reduce real wages and raise the return to capital. That’s its deepest civilian impact.”

“It’s not the technology itself that determines the outcome — it’s politics and societal dynamics.”

⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – The rise of AI and trillionaire elites 1:05 – Introducing Jeffrey Sachs 2:16 – Advising Bolivia, Poland, and the Soviet Union 5:20 – AI and the global balance of power 7:56 – Leapfrogging technology: China vs. U.S. 12:01 – How outsourcing created China’s ecosystem 17:32 – AI and the military-industrial complex 22:04 – Wealth concentration and inequality in the AI age 24:19 – Will AI help the Global South or hurt workers? 28:00 – Two possible futures: abundance or misery 30:03 – How money corrupted U.S. politics 31:46 – What individuals can do now 34:45 – Closing thoughts

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