The emergence of artificial intelligence marks a turning point in human history, raising questions that extend far beyond technological innovation. At stake is the future of human agency, moral authority and social relationships. Are we moving from an age in which human beings sought to shape their own destinies to one in which they may increasingly surrender their judgement to intelligent machines? The concern is not merely that technology will replace human labour or automate decisions, but that people may gradually lose the habit of independent thinking, critical reflection and moral reasoning. The danger is that, while acquiring unprecedented power to control the world around them, human beings may become less capable of deciding what that power should serve.

Modernity, which transformed European societies over the past three centuries, rested on confidence in reason, scientific inquiry and human agency. It challenged inherited authority and encouraged individuals to question established beliefs and participate in shaping their own destinies. Yet modernity was not simply a revolt against religion. Its historical development remained deeply connected to Christianity, whose moral traditions helped shape ideas of human dignity, compassion, duty and responsibility. As public institutions became increasingly secular, elements of this ethical inheritance continued to influence social life. The United States subsequently extended the influence of modernity within a society whose public culture retained a significant Christian ethos. Modernity thus combined the emancipation of human reason with a moral inheritance that continued to inform its understanding of the individual and society.

The age of artificial intelligence may represent a different historical configuration. Whereas modernity sought to liberate individuals from the unquestioned authority of tradition, AI may create new forms of dependence on technological systems that increasingly mediate perception, judgement and choice. Algorithms already influence what people read, purchase and believe. As these systems become more sophisticated, decisions requiring experience, empathy and moral discernment may increasingly be delegated to computational processes designed to predict outcomes and optimise performance. Individuals may retain the formal freedom to choose while becoming dependent on systems that shape the choices available to them. Human agency may consequently be weakened without being explicitly abolished.

The geopolitical context makes this transition particularly significant. If Europe was the historical centre of modernity and America substantially amplified its reach, China has emerged as one of the principal powers shaping the AI era. Its technological rise is taking place........

© Greater Kashmir