NEW DELHI– As artificial intelligence increasingly replaces human labor, the next great competition among civilizations may center not on production or power, but on meaning — and India could emerge as the most influential nation of that new era, according to a recent report.
Writing in Asia Times, Jan Krikke cites macrohistorian Lawrence Taub’s prediction that by the middle of this century, automation, AI, and even “free energy” will make the traditional “Worker Age” obsolete, forcing humanity to look inward for purpose and identity.
“If the 19th century harnessed physical power and the 20th century harnessed information, the 21st century will have to harness consciousness,” the report notes. “The new competition will not be about production but about meaning.”
The analysis contrasts China and India as symbols of two distinct civilizational paths. China, built on a Confucian ethos of discipline, hierarchy, and collective harmony, epitomized the Worker Age — lifting nearly a billion people out of poverty and transforming into the world’s manufacturing hub within a few decades. But that same triumph, the report argues, also marks the exhaustion of the industrial ideal.
“If China embodies material mastery, India embodies inner mastery,” the article states. For thousands of years, Indian thought has delved into the nature of consciousness — from the Upanishads’ exploration of mind and reality, to the Bhagavad Gita’s teachings on action without attachment, and Yoga and Vedanta’s systematic methods of self-inquiry and emotional regulation.
Unlike most civilizations, India never divided the spiritual from the practical. “The daily and the divine have always intertwined — from meditation before meals to rituals that mark the passage of time,” the article observes. “This integration may prove decisive in a post-work era when people seek coherence rather than consumption.”
In a future where AI can out think but not truly understand, India’s ancient frameworks for awareness and reflection could provide humanity with tools for conscious living — a skill that may prove “the most valuable of all.” (Source: IANS)
