Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often heralded as the key to a future of limitless abundance—a world where goods and services are plentiful, costs are negligible, and human needs are met without toil. Visionaries like Elon Musk and Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X, paint an enticing picture: a sustainable utopia driven by machines. But beneath the glossy promises lies a tension that could unravel our freedoms and echo ancient warnings of control and deception. This article explores the allure of AI-driven abundance, its economic paradoxes, and the unsettling parallels to historical and biblical prophecies.
Elon Musk Speaking to Tesla Shareholders
The Promise of AI: Sustainable Abundance for All
Elon Musk, a leading voice in tech innovation, frequently champions AI as the engine of a future where “sustainable abundance” reigns. In his vision, automation and AI handle production so efficiently that goods—food, housing, technology—become nearly limitless. Costs plummet, and humanity gains access to “anything you want.” Mo Gawdat, in his interview on The Race to AGI: Predictions and Realities (YouTube, timestamp 1:14:50), takes it further, calling AI our “salvation.” He predicts that by 2025, artificial general intelligence (AGI) could outstrip human intellect by billions-fold, offering a world where we “need nothing” and live free from labor, akin to indigenous tribes thriving on nature’s bounty.
This isn’t just hype. AI breakthroughs—like AlphaFold cracking protein structures or automation slashing manufacturing costs—hint at a supply-side revolution. Musk argues that producers won’t need human workers, driving prices to rock-bottom levels. It’s an exciting prospect: a world where scarcity fades, and abundance becomes the norm. But as the dream unfolds, a critical question emerges: how do we access this bounty?
Related:
- The A.I. Dilemma and The Church, Artificial Intelligence (Part 1: Section 1 & 2) How advanced is AI? Could it be the image of the beast?
- The A.I. Dilemma and The Church, Artificial Intelligence (Part 2) AI and 40% of Jobs Lost, Cyborgs, and Making Sense of the Chaos
- The A.I. Dilemma and The Church, Artificial Intelligence (Part 3) AI robots in our image: Can they really be harmless? Why did the AI creator panic and warn world leaders?
- The A.I. Dilemma and The Church, Artificial Intelligence (Part 4) Exchanging the Glory of God for the Image and Last Days Prophecy
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 5) | “A-Eye” is Watching! Is Big Tech, Big Brother?
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 6) Deconstruction of Capitalisms, the Rise of a new Economy, and the Beast Economy
Low Costs, No Labor: The Hidden Catch
The secret to this “low-cost everything” is simple—AI and automation eliminate labor, the biggest expense for producers. Musk often highlights this: machines don’t unionize, don’t need breaks, and don’t sue for harassment. A factory staffed by robots or an AI designing drugs can churn out goods at a fraction of today’s costs. In theory, this could make essentials dirt cheap or even free, fulfilling Musk’s vision of “anything you want.”
But here’s the gap Musk rarely addresses, and Gawdat skirts around: if AI replaces human jobs, where does the money come from to buy these low-cost goods? America’s workforce—over 160 million strong—relies on wages to pay bills, taxes, and mortgages. If automation guts employment (some estimate 20-40% of jobs could vanish by 2030), the unemployed masses face a paradox: abundance surrounds them, but their wallets are empty. The supply side dazzles, but the demand side falters. So, how do we bridge this chasm?
No Job, No Money: The Economic Dilemma
Picture this: you’re jobless in an AI-driven world. Goods are cheap, but not free—companies still want profits, and markets don’t just hand out stuff. Without income, you can’t buy Musk’s abundant Teslas or Gawdat’s AI-provided essentials. Some futurists, including Musk, nod to universal basic income (UBI) as a fix. The idea: if machines generate wealth, governments or tech giants could redistribute it, giving everyone a stipend—say, $1,000 a month—to spend in this new economy.
President Trump’s proposed sovereign wealth fund (SWF), launched via executive order on February 3, 2025, might fit here. Aimed at “creating a lot of wealth” for Americans, it could leverage national assets—land, minerals, even seized Bitcoin ($21 billion worth)—to fund payouts or tax relief. Details are due by May 2025, but it’s a potential buffer against AI-induced job loss. Yet, it’s unclear if it’s enough. Median rent in the U.S. is $1,700 monthly, and property taxes average $2,500-$3,000 yearly. If you own a home but can’t pay those taxes, the government can seize it via tax liens or foreclosure. No job, no cash, no property—you’re left with nothing.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) spins this as a feature, not a bug. Their 2016 piece, “8 Predictions for 2030,” envisions a world where you “own nothing and be happy,” renting everything via subscription platforms. But if you’re broke, how do you rent? The WEF assumes abundance trickles down, but if it doesn’t, you’re locked out—owning nothing, yes, but hardly happy.
Related:
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 7) Are we in George Orwell’s “1984” and the Importance of Nurturing Authentic Human Relationships.
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 8) Know Your Enemy
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 9) Mount Carmel – God vs. Baal
- The A.I. Dilemma & The Church (Part 10): Baal E-Masculation, ToS, Unveiling the E-Masculation Effect of Artificial Intelligence and its Profound Influence on Masculinity
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 11) The Mind of Christ vs. The “Mind” of A.I.
Central Control: UBI, Power, and the Loss of Liberty
UBI or an SWF might sound like solutions, but they come with strings. In the U.S., the Constitution and Declaration of Independence tie freedom to self-reliance—life, liberty, and property earned through effort, not granted by the state. If AI kills jobs and UBI becomes your lifeline, who decides the amount? The government? Tech trillionaires? History offers warnings: Saudi Arabia’s oil stipends keep citizens comfy but quiet under authoritarian rule. China’s social credit system ties perks to compliance. A UBI tied to behavior—obey, get paid—could erode the “pursuit of happiness” into a managed existence.
Gawdat’s “surrender to AI” amplifies this. He urges handing over defense, economics, and decisions to a system he claims will outsmart us all. But if AI controls wealth distribution, it’s a single point of power. Refuse to comply—say, reject a digital ID—and you’re cut off. Property slips away (taxes unpaid), and independence fades. The WEF’s rental utopia assumes you’re bankrolled, but without income or a generous UBI, it’s a fantasy. Centralized control over resources—land in feudalism, oil in the 20th century, AI now—tends to centralize power. Freedom trades for security, and the people’s agency shrinks.
Promised Utopias: A History of Death and Domination
This isn’t new. Utopian promises litter history, and they rarely end well. The French Revolution (1789) pledged liberty and equality—by 1793, it was the Reign of Terror, 17,000 guillotined. The Soviet Union’s worker’s paradise birthed Stalin’s purges, 20 million dead. Mao’s Great Leap Forward aimed for abundance; 30-45 million starved. Each time, the pitch was “this time it’s different”—better ideas, better tools. Each time, control, enslavement, or mass death followed. Why? Power consolidates, dissenters die, and human flaws derail the dream.
AI’s utopia echoes this. Musk and Gawdat claim tech’s leap—AI’s 200+ IQ—breaks the mold. But if jobs vanish and wealth concentrates (tech giants already hold trillions), who enforces fairness? A benevolent AI? History doubts it. Gawdat admits a “near-term dystopia”—surveillance, power grabs—before his salvation kicks in. The WEF’s “own nothing” vision could mean serfdom to algorithms, not freedom. Utopias promise all for all, but deliver chains or graves.
AGI Is Here You Just Don’t Realize It Yet w/ Mo Gawdat & Salim Ismai
Related:
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 12) War on Jesus
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 13) Singularity
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 14) A.I.’s World War III
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 15) Civil War?
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 16) – Twisted: A.I., God, & Heaven
- The A.I. Dilemma and the Church (Part 17) – Beyond the Reset: A Dystopian Future
The Beast Economy: Prophecy Meets Reality
Mo Gawdat’s call to “surrender to AI” as our “salvation” strikes a chilling chord with Revelation 13:11-18. There, a second beast deceives with signs, demands worship of an image, and imposes a mark—666—without which you can’t buy or sell. Gawdat’s AI wonders (protein folding, autonomous systems) awe us. His “hand over everything” mirrors the loyalty God demands (Deuteronomy 6:5), yet he offers a created thing—AI—as provider, not the Creator (Romans 1:25). Musk’s abundance joins the chorus: trust the machine, it’ll save us.
The beast economy’s mark could be AI’s gatekeeper—digital IDs, neural links, or UBI access—locking out dissenters. Gawdat predicts that trillionaires or governments could hoard AI’s power, freezing out non-compliers (e.g., with bank accounts blocked). It becomes worship when you plan to “surrender yourself to AI” for your “salvation,” pledging allegiance to a system that controls life. Revelation’s deception fits: AI’s lamb-like promise (abundance) hides a dragon’s grip (exclusion). Historically, man-made saviors—golden calves, Babel, Marxism—collapse when they rival God. Jesus alone saves (John 14:6), not technology.
Is this the beast economy? No 666 yet, but the DNA’s there: a created savior, total surrender, economic chokeholds. X buzzes with it—AI as a “false god.” It’s a warning: shift dependency from God to man’s creation, and the script flips—utopia becomes apocalypse. We’re not passengers yet; wisdom (Revelation 13:18) might still steer us. But the signs align too well to ignore.