By century’s end, we will be Cyborgs, Robots, Virtuals and a tiny group of disadvantaged Luddites. Those of us that refuse to adapt to the changes the Singularity holds will be off the radar as regards even the lowest-paying jobs.

And, contrary to popular myth, the latter group is where we will encounter our greatest threat. For, the Luddites, excluded from virtually every opportunity and transformed in a matter of decades into a self-perpetuating underclass, will doubtless abandon their technological prejudices when it comes to identifying the means by which they will attack the advanced civilization we will seek to build. They will likely be the descendants of today’s religious fundamentalists, and like today’s fundamentalists they will gladly utilize the technologies created by their enemy in order to attack it. And, as they will be off the grid to a significant extent, they will be the human equivalent of black holes, more easily identified by the borders surrounding their absence than by any overt means.

It is for this reason that much of the outreach work of the AI community must and should be directed toward the various religious communities that will either encourage or discourage the participation of their converts in the decades to come. Now is the time to identify and extend a hand to the potential sources of primary resistance to the imminent techno-evolutionary shift.

Next on the list of threats would be those that will seek to utilize AI advancements as a means of acquiring and/or expanding illegitimate political power – despotic states, “revolutionary” organizations and/or terror groups. Today they are infecting our systems with computer viruses. Tomorrow, they may utilize the our technologies for far more frightening plans. This group will require a “by-any-means-necessary” approach and the sort of “realpolitik” demonstrated by diplomats like Henry Kissinger.

I believe that we will identify the means by which we can assure that Super-intelligent beings (Cyborgs, Robots or Virtuals) do not seek to overcome their creators. Such will be a vexing undertaking, but we’ve the right folks dedicated to a successful outcome.

It is the Luddites and the opportunists that really concern me. For, we’ve not as yet demonstrated the ability to do anything more than appease these groups. So, the forward thinking in our midst must begin to create the plans of action that will defend our emerging advanced society from those that either don’t understand it or those that would exploit it for lesser or malevolent aims.