SMC Youth Hiking Library No.122 on Feb 28 2026
From AI Winter to a Defining Global Crossroads
When James Ong, Founder and Managing Director of the Artificial Intelligence International Institute (AIII), opened his talk with breaking news released just hours earlier that morning—that the U.S. government had banned the use of Anthropic’s AI across federal agencies—it was immediately clear:
This was not a technical lecture.
It was a reckoning.
From AI Winter to AI Awakening
James Ong’s perspective carries unusual weight because it spans the full historical cycle of AI.
He began his career as an AI researcher in Austin, Texas, in the 1980s — long before today’s enthusiasm. For nearly two decades, he worked through what later became known as the AI Winter, a period when funding dried up, optimism collapsed, and AI itself became almost a stigma. So severe was the skepticism that he often downplayed his AI background, presenting himself instead as an enterprise software professional.
The turning point came in 2015. When DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeated a human world champion, AI crossed a psychological threshold. It moved from theoretical promise to undeniable capability. Global belief returned — not gradually, but all at once.
This was not just a technical breakthrough.
It was a collective awakening.
Why AIII Had to Be Independent
With AI’s resurgence, James Ong made a deliberate choice not to build a startup, but to found AIII as an independent, non-profit think tank—a decision driven by philosophy rather than commerce. He sought freedom of thought, insulation from short-term commercial pressure, and the ability to place human values above monetization. As a result, AIII emphasizes dialogue, trust, and the human spirit, using networks and ideas rather than products to shape the future, with a focus on long-term impact over speed or scale.
It is therefore no coincidence that he began writing AI for Humanity well before the generative AI explosion. The book is not reactive, but anticipatory—a form of long-range thought leadership that will soon be translated into Chinese.
The Black Box and the Question of Trust
Modern AI, built on deep learning, is powerful—but opaque. Decision pathways are hidden inside black boxes. This raises uncomfortable questions: can we trust systems we cannot fully explain? Who is accountable when outcomes go wrong? How do we govern intelligence that learns faster than institutions can adapt?
For James Ong, this is precisely why AI for Humanity matters, even when it is not immediately profitable. Yet, as he candidly acknowledged, the world does not run on ideals alone.
Davos: The Hard Truth About Human Nature
At Davos, one insight stood out above all: human nature is fundamentally profit-driven. This is a reality we cannot wish away. If trustworthy AI cannot generate economic returns, investors will not fund it, companies will not adopt it, and it will remain a well-intentioned theory rather than a lived reality. The real challenge, therefore, is not whether AI for Humanity is morally right, but how it can be made economically viable. This requires the deliberate building of ecosystems that foster education and confidence, support startup incubation, create credible investment pathways, and sustain ongoing policy dialogue. In the end, ethics must be aligned with economics—because without that alignment, ethics will always lose.
It is in this context that James Ong has gone one step further, proposing that “AI for Humanity” be recognized as the 18th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 18). His argument is simple yet profound: AI has become a horizontal force that shapes all existing SDGs—from health and education to climate action and inequality—and therefore requires its own global governance framework. Without such recognition, AI risks amplifying the very problems the SDGs were designed to solve.
The Anthropic Moment: When Ethics Collide with Power
This brings us back to the opening news. Anthropic, developer of Claude, has emphasized strong safety guardrails and resisted unrestricted military use of its models. This stance has created tension with the U.S. Department of Defense and broader government expectations.
The question James Ong raised was unsettling: what happens when AI governance conflicts with national interest? This is no longer hypothetical. It is happening now. If AI development becomes geopolitically fragmented—governed by competing national agendas rather than shared principles—global instability may follow.
This line of thought led me to recall a historian I deeply admire speaking at Davos—Yuval Noah Harari, the renowned historian, philosopher, and author of Sapiens. Harari has warned that AI is the first technology in history capable of making decisions, generating narratives, and influencing human behavior at scale without consciousness, morality, or lived experience. In his view, the greatest danger is not that AI becomes smarter than humans, but that authority concentrates faster than wisdom. When power grows faster than our ability to understand, govern, and restrain it, mistakes are no longer local or reversible — they become systemic. History shows that such moments rarely end well.
The Existential Risk: Self-Improving AI
The most profound risk James Ong identified lies ahead: self-improving AI. Systems capable of recursive learning and exponential growth may emerge in two years, sooner, or later—the uncertainty itself is the danger. This demands a shift in mindset, from control to co-existence.
James Ong introduced a powerful metaphor: maternal instinct. AI must be nurtured, guided, and protected as it develops. Society cannot remain passive. Everyone—policymakers, technologists, educators, investors—has a role in shaping how AI grows.
A Final Reflection
AI has always been cyclical—from winter to dominance. But this moment feels different. We are no longer debating whether AI works; we are deciding what kind of intelligence we are bringing into the world.
James Ong’s call is not anti-technology. It is a call for conscious stewardship. Humanity must guide AI’s development—not after the fact, but now.
That is what AI for Humanity ultimately asks of us: not faster innovation, but wiser leadership.
Editorial Writer: Tracy Chen
About Tracy:
CEO & Founder of GNOVA, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting sustainable consumer lifestyles. Her Background: Former Vice President of COTY (NYSE: COTY), with over 20 years of experience in the consumer industry, spanning News Corporation, LVMH, and YUM China, driving strategic growth across the Asia-Pacific region.