Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Scratch is designed, developed, and moderated by the Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Help the little ones to know how to code
On the morning of January 6, 2021, the world watched as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. It was a moment of reckoning—chaos unleashed in the heart of the world’s most celebrated democracy.
Some called it a rebellion, others an insurrection. But to an ancient Greek historian named Polybius, it would have been something else entirely: inevitable.
More than 2,000 years ago, Polybius introduced a concept that few remember today, but whose relevance has never been greater: Anakyklosis—the Cycle of Political Evolution. It’s the idea that all governments, no matter how just or noble, are doomed to fall into predictable patterns of corruption, decay, and rebirth. It’s a cycle we have seen time and again, from the fall of Rome to the rise of authoritarian populism in the 21st century.
And if history tells us anything, it’s that the cycle is turning once more in 2025.
The Cycle of Power: From Democracy to Mob Rule
Polybius laid out the six stages of government like a tragic script, one that civilizations unknowingly follow, again and again:
Ochlokratia (Mob Rule – Corrupt)– Democracy descends into chaos, manipulated by demagogues and misinformation, leading to collapse and the rise of a new monarchy.
Sound familiar? It should. Because right now, the world’s great democracies are teetering on the edge of ochlokratia—mob rule. The signs are all around us in 2025 and maybe earlier than that!
America, Rome, and the Dangers of Late-Stage Democracy
A democratic system once admired, where power was shared among elected officials.
A growing divide between the elite and the working class, fueling discontent.
The rise of populist leaders who promised to “fix the system” while eroding its foundations.
Political violence becoming normalized, as factions turned to force instead of debate.
By the time Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE, Rome had already crossed a point of no return. Democracy had rotted from within, paving the way for empire.
Now, look around in 2025. The warning signs are eerily similar:
Rising wealth inequality—a handful of billionaires hold more wealth than entire nations, with AI-driven economies exacerbating disparities.
Populist strongmen winning elections by exploiting public disillusionment, now amplified by deepfake propaganda and AI-manipulated media.
A disinformation crisis, where truth is drowned in a sea of conspiracy theories, with major news organizations struggling to compete with viral AI-generated misinformation.
Governments increasingly paralyzed by polarization, unable to solve real problems, as social unrest escalates globally.
The rise of authoritarian tendencies, with leaders undermining democratic institutions under the guise of “protecting the people,” now armed with digital surveillance and AI-powered state control.
Like Rome before it, modern democracy is not dying from external threats. It is crumbling from within—now at an accelerated pace thanks to technology.
The Digital Age and the Acceleration of Ochlokratia
Polybius never could have predicted social media, but if he had, he would have seen it as the ultimate accelerator of political decay.
In 2025, the situation has worsened. AI-driven content manipulation, hyper-personalized propaganda, and algorithm-driven outrage cycles have turned democracy into a battleground of perception over reality. Deepfake videos, voice clones, and AI-generated political figures blur the line between truth and fiction. The digital public square, once seen as a beacon of democratic engagement, has become an ecosystem of rage-fueled disinformation, rewarding extremism over nuance, engagement over truth.
And so we find ourselves in the final stage of democracy—the moment where people, manipulated by demagogues, AI-driven propaganda, and digital algorithms, turn against the very system meant to protect them.
Can We Break the Cycle?
If the ancient Greeks were right, the natural next step is a return to authoritarian rule—a strongman rising from the ashes, promising to “fix” the broken system, but at the cost of freedom.
But history is not destiny. The cycle is a warning, not a prophecy.
Democracies do not fail overnight. They erode, piece by piece, as citizens grow complacent, as leaders exploit fear, as institutions weaken under the weight of corruption. And yet, history has also shown that the fate of a nation is not written in stone—it is written by those who refuse to let history repeat itself.
The solution does not lie in nostalgia for the past, but in rebuilding trust, strengthening institutions, and restoring civic engagement. It lies in resisting the allure of simple answers to complex problems. It lies in demanding accountability from leaders, media, and ourselves.
In 2025, it also means tackling the AI-driven erosion of democracy, ensuring that technology serves the people rather than manipulates them. We must regulate AI in politics, educate citizens on digital literacy, and push for transparent governance in an age where deception has never been easier.
Polybius gave us the diagnosis. The question now is: Will we choose a different ending?
We stand at a crossroads, just as Rome did, just as every great civilization has before us.
The forces of history are powerful, but they are not absolute.
As Martin Luther King, Jr1., once said, “The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it does not bend on its own.” We, the people, must be the ones to bend it.
Because democracy is not a given. It is a choice. And that choice is ours to make—before history that always tends to repeat itself makes it for us.
The Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) at Adobe is a community of media and technology companies, non-profits, creatives, educators and many others working to promote adoption of the open C2PA standard for content authenticity and provenance. Explore the CAI’s open-source tools based on C2PA Content Credentials, verifiable details or digital “nutrition labels” about how content was created. via
In the mid-20th century, the world watched as the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a Cold War defined by nuclear brinkmanship, espionage, and a race to conquer space. Today, we find ourselves in a different kind of standoff—one not fought with missiles, but with algorithms.
The race for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy between the United States and China is not just about technology; it is about economic dominance, national security, and the ability to shape the global order for decades to come.
If the Cold War was defined by the tension of mutually assured destruction, this one is defined by the pursuit of mutually assured intelligence. The country that masters AI first could set the rules for the world’s technological infrastructure, command global markets, and even redefine military strategy. The stakes could not be higher.
The United States has long led the world in AI development, thanks to companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Microsoft. In 2025, the Trump administration announced theStargate AI Initiative, a $500 billion national strategy to solidify U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence . This includes investments in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, AI-driven cybersecurity, and public-private partnerships with major tech firms.
Beyond economic competition, AI has profound implications for national security. Military strategists in Washington and Beijing recognize that the next war may not be fought with conventional weapons, but with AI-powered cyberattacks, autonomous drones, and algorithmic warfare. The Pentagon’sProject Maven, which integrates AI into military surveillance and targeting, underscores how vital AI has become to modern defense strategies.
Meanwhile, China has deployed AI in ways that raise alarms in the West. The country has built an extensive AI-driven surveillance network, using facial recognition and predictive analytics to monitor citizens and suppress dissent. These same technologies could be weaponized for cyber warfare, disinformation campaigns, and battlefield automation.
The Global Stakes: Who Writes the Rules of AI?
Perhaps the most significant aspect of this AI Cold War is the battle over who gets to set the rules. Just as the U.S. and the Soviet Union fought for ideological supremacy—democracy vs. communism—the U.S. and China are fighting for control over the ethical and regulatory frameworks that will define AI’s role in society.
If China emerges as the dominant AI superpower, it could maybe push for a state-controlled, surveillance-heavy approach to AI governance. If the U.S. leads, it could potentially and hopefully champion more open, decentralized, and ethical AI practices. (although recent political developments might prove this to be otherwise) The outcome of this competition will shape everything from global digital rights to how businesses operate in an AI-driven economy.
The Race Toward Unintended Consequences
Both countries are moving at breakneck speed to develop AI, but with such haste comes the risk of unintended consequences. AI systems are already making decisions in financial markets, healthcare, and criminal justice—often with biases and flaws that remain largely unchecked. If AI development is driven solely by geopolitical competition, the world could face a future where autonomous decision-making systems operate beyond human control(Harvard AI Ethics Journal, 2024).
The historical Cold War ended not with nuclear destruction, but with diplomacy, cooperation, and economic interdependence. The AI Cold War may follow a similar trajectory—but only if global leaders recognize that AI is not just a competitive advantage, but a responsibility that must be guided with caution, collaboration, and foresight.
A War Without a Winner?
The race for AI dominance is not just about technological achievement—it is about defining the future of global power. Both the United States and China have a choice: to pursue AI as a tool for conflict or to establish new frameworks for cooperation.
The original Cold War led to space exploration, arms control treaties, and unprecedented scientific advancements—but it also brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. The question today is whether this new Cold War, driven by AI, will lead to a technological renaissance or an uncontrollable escalation of digital warfare.
One thing is certain: the winner of this AI race will not just shape the future of technology—it will shape the future of the world.