Tom Cruise, and the “Mission Impossible” films in particular, have a devoted fan in me. In this age of average Hollywood fare, I have found solace in watching this series’ films again and again.
I watched the latest flick “Mission Impossible: The Dead Reckoning-Part I” in the cinema and enjoyed this 2-hour and 43-minute action-packed movie.
Since recently, I had to take a bus from Islamabad to Lahore, I played it on my phone again as soon as the trip began. This was my second viewing of the film, so I was familiar with its story points. “The Entity” was the central focus of the opposing parties, and my favourite, Ethan Hunt, was once again facing an impossible task to rescue humanity.
As every party was hunting for the key to the Entity (so-called supercomputer based on some AI algorithm), my thoughts drifted towards recent breakthroughs on the AI frontier.
The writers of sci-fi movies are fictional entrepreneurs, who undertake investment of their imaginations. Engineers and technologists convert these fantasies into reality when technology reaches a tipping point. It wasn’t until Open AI, Inc.’s ChatGPT came out that AI became accessible to the average person; before then, only computer scientists and fictional entrepreneurs could have envisioned the practical applications of AI.
Since the initial version of ChatGPT, the algorithms have rapidly improved. There are about 3,500 AI tools, each claiming to be the best. The United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are the dominant countries in terms of technology, but a Chinese company’s introduction of “DeepSeek” has changed the game completely. Even with minimal costs, DeepSeek claims that it surpasses industry giants like Gemini and ChatGPT in various areas.
As the president of the US, Donald Trump, announced that $500 billion would be spent on AI products, China has begun to flex its muscles at the marginal cost.Under “Project Transcendence,” the Saudi government intends to spend $100 billion on research and development of AI to realize its Vision 2030 goal.
The Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) is developing the Arabic Large Language Model (ALLM) to take the lead in the region. Organizations are investing time, energy, and capital into acquiring a competitive edge in the ongoing race of AI development. As time goes on, the battle heats up.
In the past, technological advancements were mainly made to establish domination. Problems that the general population encounters in their lives are subsequently addressed by utilizing these technologies. In World War II, for instance, the United States employed atomic power to destroy Japan but thereafter began to use it to solve the energy crisis. Even explosives were initially used to neutralize fortifications, but later on, the mining industry started to get benefits. Technology solves problems but also provides domination.
Thinking about AI, a few thoughts raced through my mind: Why are humans vigorously pursuing the development of AI? What are the underlying reasons? Are the benefits we are getting using this technology merely byproducts or secondary uses? One possible motivation for creating AI could be to have absolute dominance and control.
Every software, application, and field has begun to include AI, resulting in widespread concern. People are worried about having their privacy invaded and their jobs taken away, while countries are worried about national security. We have also heard from UNI Global Union general secretary Christy Hoffman, who said, “According to even modest projections, many millions are likely to be displaced by AI over the next five years. And we can’t sweep those people under the rug or watch them fall through the cracks.”
Fictional entrepreneurs are already highlighting the misuse of this technology more than its benefits. Sam Altman once warned, “I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong.
And we want to be vocal about that as we want to work with the government to prevent that from happening“. AI is indeed a new battleground. I just watched an interview with the godfather of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton, in which he bluntly stated that, for the first time in human history, we are up against an intelligent being.
The fact that major powers are interested in utilizing this technology shows that it is more than just what is on display. Concerns and worries surround the capabilities and regulations of AI.
Who will be responsible for overseeing AI regulation is a fundamental concern. How exactly is it going to be regulated? Even the AI godfather does not have a crystal-clear idea. These inquiries would have been present upon the internet’s introduction to daily life.
According to Geoffrey Hinton, though, this is not the web; instead, it is an intelligent being. At the Paris First AI summit in February 2025, numerous heads of state and CEOs of AI companies assembled to deliberate on the trajectory of AI.
A positive image of the AI revolution was presented at the meeting. Even if the United States and the United Kingdom chose not to sign the summit’s declaration due to worries about unreasonable compliance burdens, underlying threats are nonetheless cautiously acknowledged. Power is power, and any nation that possesses technology might aspire to enjoy dominance and power.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, defended the framework as essential to prevent monopolistic control by tech giants. AI’s North Star, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, cautioned against complacency and emphasized the need to make efforts to prevent a fragmented regulatory landscape that stifles innovation.
People are being cautious with their statements and pledges on how to control this technology at the moment.
But technologically-weak nations can easily sense that the technical strong and prosperous nations will be able to dominate more effectively and efficiently on anything in the realm of AI.
Here in the age of AI advancement, organisations are preparing a new arsenal. Quantum Chip “Willow” by IBM has been claimed to solve the problem in minutes which would otherwise take 10 septillion years (represented by numeral 1 followed by 24 zeros in the United States). Microsoft has introduced “Majorana 1”, a Quantum Chip, promising to solve industrial scale problems in a fraction of the time compared to super computers.
Technology offers three forms of leverage: efficiency, effectiveness, and agility. Is there some hidden agenda here, or are billion-dollar corporations really interested in giving humanity a hand in fixing its problems? AI companies claim to provide solutions, but they don’t mention much about the problems they might cause.
A tremendous shift is taking place, and it has the potential to produce extraordinary outcomes.
The “Entity of Mission Impossible” is becoming a reality as every government wants to control the whole world, a mission which may not remain impossible. Since the movie sequel “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” will be released in May 2025, we are witnessing the release of AI agents and apps daily.
The real purpose of creating and advancing AI technology remains a mystery. For what reasons are people so committed to creating AI? At the next AI summit, India plans to hold in 2026, perhaps some of these questions will be addressed. But I am not sure.
As I was immersed in thoughts about AI and humanity’s future on the battlefield, the bus hostess announced our arrival in Lahore. I looked out the window to enjoy the sights and scenes of the city, disengaging from my thoughts. Lahore, with its bustling street life, was waiting for me.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a professor at the Department of Engineering Management, NUST
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