China 2069: Triumph or Travesty?
A look at the dueling paths of the world’s next great superpower
In the science fiction short story “Folding Beijing,” author Hao Jingfang conjures a future in which China’s capital is a miracle of postmodern origami engineering. The city is its own mighty Transformer robot, endlessly reconfiguring itself in an alternating cycle between the luxury accommodations of the one percent and slums inhabited by the poor, waste-picking masses.
Computer scientist Kaifu Lee cites “Folding Beijing” as an example of how advances in artificial intelligence will almost certainly exacerbate income inequality. In his 2018 book. AI Superpowers, Lee makes a convincing case that China is poised to lead the world in the commercial deployment of A.I., but he warns that the consequences could easily be catastrophic, potentially leading to “economic divisions that tear at the fabric of our society and challenge our sense of human dignity and purpose.” The Chinese future embodied by “Folding Beijing” and predicted in AI Superpowers is like the Shanghai skyline obscured by toxic smog: simultaneously marvelous and terrifying.
One of the more remarkable things about China in the current moment is that a country with so much past is now the crucible of the future. But it shouldn’t really be a surprise. For most of the past…
