The Fifth Turning (2025–2034)

Or was it the sixth? I've lost track

And Now for Something Completely Different

Tired of endless election analysis? While many are delving into commentary to the point of self-flagellation, I thought I’d offer a future history.

“Always loved a good old future history, me,” said the guy with, suddenly, no mates.

Predictions by writers and futurists of the past, not to mention economists, are seldom accurate in a practical “put all your money in commodities” kind of way, but they’re still important exercises that allow for new thinking.

Our modern equivalent, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, offers a similar vehicle to explore the contours of what’s coming. Enough so that whenever we spot tech-related faux pas that overwhelm or degrade our humanity, we might even cringe and say, “It’s a bit Black Mirror.”

Those new Meta Glasses? They’re a bit Black Mirror (specifically “The Entire History of You” if you’re wondering).

Anyway, I’ve written this in the spirit of H.G. Wells’s The Shape of Things to Come, but hopefully not too much of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World or Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, since that’s where we currently are.

Future historical takes (as opposed to hardcore sci-fi) are powerful cultural reference points regardless of whether they’re proven wrong by the arrival of aliens the next Tuesday.

With that in mind, I sat down and condensed a few ideas from my 2023 book Beyond a Survival Economy (or BaSE)—in particular from chapter 11:

“Any crisis that is large enough will require the minting of currency to see out the crisis and then rebuild afterwards. Those wanting to retain the survival system will insist that there is no money in the coffers and that governments must tighten their belts, starve a certain percentage of the population, and allow the crisis to deepen as a form of creative destruction.”

TL:DR? Want a NotebookLLM version of this?

I got those two podcasters from google’s brilliant notebook tool and asked them to be future historians to explain what’s ahead.

A final note before reading: Proof of Humanity, as mentioned ahead, is a real thing! You can find it here:

Now, I hope you enjoy this short future history…

The Inevitable Transformation: A Post-Labour Economy (2025–2034)

Introduction

Who would have thought, in the final months of 2024, that the decade from 2025 to 2034 would lead to such a fundamental redefinition of citizenship, governance, capital and labour?

Commentary was largely centred on technological change because that’s where change had been. And to be sure, technology didn’t stop.

But the world stood on the brink of monumental civic change and this was an area where few had predicted the continental shifts and earthquakes that awaited.

Nation-states did not vanish, though there was major upheaval in the dominant economies of the time. Partly because of this failure of the prevailing economic order, the capital and citizenship of hundreds of millions shifted from being exclusively national and controlled to being largely universal and uncontrolled.

In other words, the balance of power moved from nation-states and oligopolies to the non-state equity of digital wallets and (eventually) universal citizenship.

This occurred despite the complete failure of all cryptocurrencies as insulated stores of value —a fact easier to see with historical hindsight than it was for those at the time who could only see “number go up.”

Unexpectedly, it became both a left-leaning solidarity movement and a right-leaning freedom movement simultaneously, yet it lacked any singular leader or manifesto.

This grassroots populism arose from the ability to hold both nation-states and corporate power to account through what we now call Equity Agency. It’s hard to imagine today that we existed for so long like hostages with Stockholm Syndrome, caught between two monolithic political and economic blocs of groupthink that both demanded control and obedience.

But we did.

At any given point in your day, you might have found yourself contemplating whether the choice you were making would enhance or diminish either:

• Left or Right

• State or Corporation

• Private or Public

• Capital or Labour

And yet here we are in good old 2084 still engaging with capital and using our labour day to day but also free from any coercion, on pain of destitution, that might otherwise press gang us into activities we deem toxic or unethical.

For the sovereign individual types at the time, the future was meant to be one where only a few select individuals would hold nation-straddling capital and digital superpowers. Little did they know, those early adopting digital nomads, that these powers would soon be acquired by virtually everyone on Earth.

Virtually in both senses here.

To the casual observer going about her business in the febrile months of November or December in 2024, it would have seemed unfathomable that within a few short years, there could be global agreement on anything let alone:

1. An Ethical AGI Initiative

2. A Global Energy Treaty for Decentralised Sustainability

3. A Planetary Commons and Re-wilding Initiative

4. A Universal Space Accord: ‘Finders Keepers’ with Oversight

Key events such as the rise of the Proof of Humanity¹ platform, the introduction of Dividenda,² and a dramatic shift in global economic and democratic paradigms reshaped the world. The following breakdown explores this transformative decade year by year, weaving together the economic, technological, and social upheavals that led to the dawn of the Post-Labour Era.

Of course, we all know from today’s vantage point that human labour still exists. This period did not end all salaried work or even manual labour (want to be a millionaire today? Become a plumber!)

But what post-labour means is that the work you do and get paid for is above your most acute survival requirements. You cannot be compelled by survival needs alone to do a particular set of tasks, and it’s led to the most innovative and productive period in history.

It’s hard to imagine here at the end of the 21st century, but a lot of people used to work just to barely survive for their whole lives. It was also often their only social support network. We’ll never know the true cost of human potential we lost due to the economics of that time.

Labour is therefore no longer a political force, much in the same way that coal miners would not have needed solidarity in the UK in the 1980s if the closure of mines had not cut off their only source of economic agency and community. Had a paid re-training guarantee existed or a calibrated Universal Basic Income, what would have been the purpose of strikes? To keep open a loss making mine so people could get paid to dig out unneeded coal?

Although history focuses on the change to a post-labour economy because of the social transformation it brought, it’s also true that in many ways we moved to a post-capital economy. Capital still existed afterwards of course but it was now far more difficult for it to concentrate and accumulate into democracy-skewing blocs due to the limited capture and automated predistribution that occurred after the beginning of Dividenda.

Keep that in mind, but we will stick with the orthodox terms. So let us begin at the birth of the post-labour age to understand how it came about.

2025: Seeds of Transformation and the AI Bubble

In 2025, the United States embarked on a new political and economic trajectory. A fiscally conservative administration, influenced by prominent business leaders, took office with ambitious plans to rejuvenate the economy through protectionist policies and fiscal austerity.

January 2025 marked the beginning of this shift as the new administration implemented significant tariffs on imported goods to protect domestic manufacturing. These tariffs aimed to bolster American industries by making imported products more expensive, thereby encouraging consumers to buy domestically produced goods.

“The world has benefited from our greatness; but it must pay its due. Together, we make America greater than ever before.”

- President Donald J Trump Inaugural Address Jan 2025

Simultaneously, they introduced substantial corporate tax cuts to incentivise investment in U.S. industries. The rationale was that lower taxes would free up capital for corporations to invest in expansion and job creation. Additionally, the administration announced a planned reduction of federal spending, aiming to eliminate government debt by July 2026. This move was intended to reflect fiscal responsibility and reduce the national deficit.

The initial optimism was palpable. The stock market surged as investors anticipated a resurgence in American industry. Political rhetoric focused on “bringing jobs back to America,” resonating with many who felt left behind by globalisation. However, beneath this veneer of confidence, complexities brewed that would soon surface.

In response to U.S. tariffs, the European Union launched a “Green Bloc Initiative,” accelerating green technology development and forming trade pacts with developing nations in Africa and South America. This strengthens EU influence but created friction with China, which saw Africa as a core part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

March 2025 witnessed an unprecedented surge in artificial intelligence investment, spurred on by the promise of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in the near term. Singularity Fever on the stock markets fuelled unsustainable speculation.

By June 2025, amidst the AGI hype, businesses accelerated the adoption of automation technologies, eyeing efficiency gains and competitive advantages. Practical AI developments like AI Agents began to reshape industries practices from back end bookkeeping to sales processes, with or without the arrival of AGI. But without a strong market signal, wholesale replacing of people with automation in corporations was too risky. No one was really willing to jump into the unknown.

The job market held up.

However, by October 2025, cracks began to appear in the AI investment surge. If AGI was the goal, were we already here? LLMs and AI Agents were able to do incredibly complex tasks that (together) were already well ahead of any single human intelligence. But it was also causing a number of ‘black box’ issues where logistical or other process problems would cripple a business but it was then impossible to determine how to fix it. AI couldn’t even understand how it was making decisions.

The captains of the AI sector prescribed the coming AGI as the final piece of the puzzle that would solve these edge cases.

Analysts started questioning the feasibility of AGI timelines and the lack of tangible progress. AGI was increasingly seen as a collective delusion, akin to historical pursuits like perpetual motion machines or cold fusion. The AI sector experienced a sharp decline as investment dried up. The bubble burst on October the 14th or Terminator Tuesday, (also known as Judgement Day), with tech indices around the world falling by as much as 60% in a single day.

By December 2025, the aftermath of the crash was evident. Many AI startups collapsed, leading to idle data centres and financial setbacks. Since so few traditional ‘jobs’ had been created, the effect on the labour market was hardly noticed, but the change in direction for the economy was unmistakable. Wall Street was out, Main Street was in. For now.

And yet, extraordinary technology had been developed. The remaining industry refocused on delivering tangible value through AI combined with automation, setting the stage for widespread job displacement in the coming years, despite the bursting of the speculative bubble.

2026: Economic Strains and Policy Repercussions

By early 2026, the initial optimism of the new administration was fading as repercussions of protectionist policies and the AI bust became evident.

In January 2026, inflationary pressures emerged. Tariffs increased costs for imported materials and components essential for manufacturing. Businesses passed these costs onto consumers, leading to noticeable price increases for everyday goods. Household budgets were strained as wages remained stagnant, and public concern grew over the rising cost of living.

March 2026 saw the intensification of deportation policies. The government announced plans to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants to reduce job competition. However, industries such as agriculture, construction, and services relied heavily on immigrant labour. The sudden workforce reduction led to labour shortages, disrupting supply chains and causing further price increases. Labour shortages in key industries exacerbated the economic strain, and the deportation policies further strained societal divisions.

By June 2026, during the mid-year review of federal spending cuts, an economic impact assessment revealed troubling signs. Although the removal of moribund and out of date regulation was having some effect, economists warned that the program cuts were removing liquidity from the economy, exacerbating the downturn. Public services faced budget constraints and a loss of talent, affecting infrastructure projects and social programmes. Yet, the administration remained steadfast.

October 2026 brought global trade disruptions. China imposed tariffs on U.S. goods and restricted exports of rare earth minerals critical for technology manufacturing. Global supply chains faced significant disruptions due to an unprecedented drought that strikes the Panama Canal. Attributed to shifting climate patterns, the drought leads to critically low water levels in Gatun Lake, which supplies water for the canal’s operations.

Diplomatic tensions escalated as trade wars intensified, further straining the global economy with increasing inflation caused by the tariffs and US government spending reduction but now also the Panama Canal supply shock.

By December 2026, inflation peaked at 13% placing immense economic strain on households.

2027: The Great Financial Contraction

January 2027 revealed alarming economic indicators. Consumer confidence plummeted, business investments stalled, and unemployment rates rose sharply. It became clear that a recession was underway, and anxiety spread globally.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were a fraction of their 2024 post-election high.

We understand now that the stocks and flows of these asset classes were simply proxies for the amount of public equity (or lack thereof) in the economy. Without liquidity in the economy people were forced to cash out their crypto into fiat to use a currency of exchange. At the time, very few understood that Bitcoin in particular was simply expanding in value with the deficit and contracting with deficit reductions.

Far from being unmoored from fiat currencies, it was entirely dependent on fiat-denominated government deficits.

In truth even if crypto values had held up, no one was better off if the societal guard rails around them were collapsing.

Here’s a contemporary metric from the time:

Courtesy of Ty Keynes https://x.com/RelearningEcon

India announces the “Digital Rupee Compact,” partnering with Southeast Asian nations to create a regional digital currency. This initiative is seen as a counterweight to China’s growing digital yuan influence but sparks internal backlash from India’s rural regions due to limited digital infrastructure.

By March 2027, the government implemented further spending cuts, aiming for a budget surplus. Influenced by the belief that governments should tighten their belts like households, the administration overlooked principles of Public Equity Theory ³ (at the time known as MMT), who advocated for increased public equity during downturns.

Unlike households, governments that issue their own currency can spend currency into existance up to the limits of resources and talent available in their own currencies. Beyond that they are limited by too much inflation.

What was not widely communicated was that sovereign fiat currency governments were also limited by too much deflation.

Cutting government spending had removed so much liquidity from the economy that the contraction had now gone past a tipping point leading to a deflationary spiral.

Deep deflation was a phenomenon not seen in the U.S. since the ending of the gold standard, and its return was lauded as a rebalancing by many who believed currency should be a commodity. In theory, those holding any currency now found it had more purchasing power.

Unfortunately for those with very little equity (those more commonly termed “the working poor” at the time), having what little money they had go further was not a comfort without the ability to earn any income. The threat of losing work was also driving confidence and spending lower.

Courtesy of WSJ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/12/14/a-brief-history-of-u-s-inflation-since-1775/

In April 2027, the acceleration of automation compounded the economic woes. Consolidation of AI companies due to Judgement Day accelerated into an AI oligopoly with historically unmatched economies of manufacturing scale.

Instead of creating a market signal that protected human beings with a calibrated UBI and easing into the post-labour economy, crisis level cost cutting became the default bat signal for capital to jump into the unknown.

The bloc of full spectrum manufacturing and computing power nicknamed The Blorb® raced to bring forward the launch of highly adaptive humanoid robots which could now be deployed in some sectors for less than even the most desperate minimum wage earner.

In spite of multiple mishaps—the logistical equivalents of jack-knifed lorries on motorways and workplace accidents from the nascent army of co-bots—widespread job displacement still occurred, exacerbating unemployment and reducing purchasing power in the economy.

In theory, there would be a limit as purchasing power decreased in the economy at large.

Instead it proved to a horrified public something crucial mainstream economists had missed:

Highly advanced automation is deflationary in the extreme.

More and more resources were being passed around a smaller and smaller number of people at higher velocity. You now either worked for the super wealthy who had superior buying power, or you were on your own.

The very agenda—reduced government spending and reshoring of industry—that was meant to lift the financial burden on workers was now creating a cascade of working-class destruction.

By May 2027, social unrest intensified. Protests spread nationwide as people demanded government intervention to address unemployment and economic hardship. Demonstrations against austerity measures and deportation policies grew in size and intensity. Further attempts to deport undocumented immigrants strained societal divisions, and the country grappled with increasing polarisation as the administration pressed on.

June 2027 saw international crises deepen. Geopolitical tensions escalated as Russia re-invaded Ukraine, reneging on the deal secured by President Trump in early 2025.

Nato armies in a rapidly re-arming Europe, mobilised.

New automated drone and robot systems on the battlefield though meant that humans were effectively sitting ducks. If this had been the beginning of any new World War, it was unlikely to have featured many humans in camouflage firing guns at each other.

Also, it was quickly being realised that any Chinese supplied force could now out manufacture any US or Nato aligned force by a factor of ten or more. Fortunately, China was not as interested in global warfare as intelligence experts and many influential social media network commentators has presupposed.

A new deal was made with Russia to carve Ukraine in half but this time the remaining portion of Ukraine joined Nato immediately. A full blown European war was averted again and for now.

By August 2027, political upheaval reached new heights. Vice President J.D. Vance resigned, citing fundamental disagreements with the administration’s handling of the crisis.

“ I said I would not forget my roots. Growing up in a hardworking, tight-knit community taught me the value of resilience and the importance of serving others. Therefore, I can no longer stand by as our administration’s policies deepen economic hardships and overlook the very people we pledged to support.”

-Vice President J.D. Vance Resignation Announcement

His departure reflected deepening divisions within the government. Under the 25th Amendment, the President nominated Vivek Ramaswamy, a technologist and entrepreneur known for innovative solutions, as the new Vice President. Congress confirmed the nomination, hoping fresh perspectives might offer solutions to the mounting crises.

2028: A Year of Political and Economic Upheaval

In early 2028, facing overwhelming pressure and declining approval ratings, the President resigned.

In January 2028, Vivek Ramaswamy was sworn in as the new President. Recognising that traditional policies were insufficient for the unprecedented challenges, President Ramaswamy brought a different approach to governance. He prioritised addressing the economic crisis through innovation and emphasised that government spending should be responsive to resource availability, not constrained by an arbitrary limit to digitally created currency.

It was too little, too late.

March 2028 witnessed the global rise of the Proof of Humanity platform, marking a significant development. At first, it may have seemed like other network-effect apps—simply a new TikTok or Twitter.

But this was something completely different.

The decentralised identity system gained traction by allowing individuals to verify their humanity through blockchain and community checks without traditional ID, heavily reducing bots & state sponsored trolls.

Locally, it became a way for organisations to arrive at consensus using its uniquely anonymous voting system. It became fun to create private networks and use the democratic tool to make decisions. Friends used it to cheekily create voting pools on who should buy the next round or to anonymously vote for an award on who was the best neighbour. Teachers used it with students to test consensus on classroom behaviours, project topics and to dispute resolution.

But it didn’t stay innocent for long. Anonymity, as always, carried its darker potential. The very feature that made it feel safe and playful also made it dangerous.

Whispers of its use spread into workplaces, where managers discovered the seductive power of seemingly egalitarian, anonymous feedback. Employee performance reviews became an exercise in social hierarchy disguised as consensus. Anonymous votes determined promotions and terminations. People began to fear the voting algorithm—not for its accuracy, but for its amplifying of hidden resentments and petty alliances.

In one small English town, the mechanism became a shadow government. Neighbours voted, anonymously, to block an immigrant family’s access to a local service. Despite it being illegal and ignored by the local council, it had the seeming legitimacy of democracy. The people had spoken.

And the darkness didn’t stop there. Activists began using it to test loyalty within their ranks. Fractured political groups weaponised it to isolate dissenters or force decisions under the guise of “majority rule.” The anonymous votes didn’t reveal true consensus—they revealed who could manipulate the network better.

Proof of Humanity moved to address the problem and realised that its liquid democratic model had a major flaw. The proxy voting system, where you could delegate your vote to someone - designed to amplify expertise and trust - was too easily co-opted by hidden agendas and manipulative networks. Anonymity, meant to protect voters, allowed resentment and fear to fester unchecked, turning a tool of empowerment into one of exclusion.

To fix this, Proof of Humanity introduced transparency safeguards: proxies became public, ensuring accountability, and votes were weighted to reflect both individual engagement and collective responsibility. They hoped these changes would restore trust, but the question lingered: could democracy, liquid or not, survive its own human nature?

Other aspects of the site flourished: A jobs board connected people to simple projects outside the formal economy, paid for using Ethereum which could be converted to local currency or retained and used inside the app. A small but vibrant market proliferated in the cryptocurrency.

Every major downturn sees an increase in the black market. In 2028, it was here.

Its social media and news reporting was curated using AI systems that understood how to link pre-frontal cortexes of humans instead of limbic systems. ⁴

Amid economic turmoil, Proof of Humanity offered refuge, opportunity, and an unexpected amount of positive civic connection. Economic activity on the platform soon rivalled small nations, driving Ethereum’s value to new heights.

“For the first time in a while, I feel seen—not as a consumer, not as a data point, but as a human being. Proof of Humanity gave me a voice, a stake in something bigger than myself. It’s more than technology; it’s a lifeline.”

- Elena Rodriguez, user of the Proof of Humanity platform

By June 2028, President Ramaswamy, responding to the economic crisis embraced Public Equity Theory. The government launched bold investments in infrastructure, education, and technology. Recognising the social impact of automation and reduced public equity, Ramaswamy began exploring a Universal Basic Income and a paid training guarantee to support displaced workers and boost economic activity.

2029: The Emergence of Dividenda and Universal Citizenship

Building on the momentum from the previous year, 2029 saw the introduction of Dividenda and the solidification of universal citizenship concepts.

In March 2029, the Proof of Humanity platform introduced Dividenda, a digital token symbolising a shared global dividend. Replacing Ethereum, it functioned like fiat currency but without a central bank, with automatic minting and a transaction tax under 1% to manage inflation. This system combined a Universal Basic Income with the tax, democratically adjusted monthly to maintain economic stability and maximise market appeal.

Because Dividenda operated solely within Proof of Humanity, was fully democratic, and could never run out, it achieved a major milestone: it became a sovereign currency.

By June 2029, adoption surged as millions joined the platform triggering the beginning of history’s fastest network effect, drawn by its simplicity and economic potential. Increasingly, businesses integrated Dividenda into their operations, expanding its market share.

The fastest previous network effect had been the social media site TikTok, reaching 3 billion monthly active users in less than 8 years.

Proof of Humanity did it in 8 months.

Net immigration into the OECD countries over the next year plummeted to a trickle of political refugees as economic migration virtually ceased to exist. Why leave your local community, support network and everything you know if you can pool your Dividenda locally to achieve the economic agency you would have travelled away for?

These unfolding projections led to further acceleration in the automation of logistics and goods & services.

In September 2029, users formed Humana, a decentralised governance body. Using liquid democracy with strict limits on individual proxy votes, Humana would become a powerful advocate for global policy reform, representing the democratic will of over two thirds of the planet (and growing), shaping policies across borders.

2030: Global Realignments and New Governance Structures

By 2030, the widespread adoption of Dividenda and the principles reflected by the Humana led to significant global realignments. Traditional nation-states faced challenges to their legitimacy as the arrival of universal citizenship and decentralised economic agency gave people a degree of independence from both national governments and corporate control.

Human beings still lived within their countries’ borders, but economically and politically, they were no longer mere prisoners of their geography. Anyone could now wear their country’s identity but also a universal human identity.

In February 2030, the establishment of the Universal Assembly marked the integration of the Humana into the real world. Combining Humana’s liquid democracy with existing international institutions, the Assembly created a Philadelphia moment for the 21st century.

Without a deep crisis, nation states may well have continued to set the agenda. With an extraordinary crisis, a extraordinary response was required. It took just over 18 months to create a completely new democratic global alignment. The new political world order would be completely decentralised from the ground up, theoretically immune to the whims of authoritarian regimes or corporate overreach.

For example; Indonesia quickly announces the formation of the “Pacific Partnership for Resilience,” a coalition of island nations pooling resources for climate adaptation and ocean management. This group leverages Proof of Humanity’s platform to fund their initiatives, showcasing how digital governance can empower marginalised regions.

By April 2030, the Universal Assembly had already achieved several breakthroughs. Yet, the shadows lurking behind these innovations hinted at vulnerabilities that could spiral into chaos.

Ethical AGI Initiative

The Assembly launched the Ethical AGI Initiative to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) free from corporate or state ownership.

Since the Judgement Day bubble meltdown in 2026, the existing narrow AI had combined successfully with real world automation and become the phenomenon (some say oligarchy) that we know as The Blorb® and AGI research had gone into a winter.

But that winter had been short lived. Promising new breakthroughs using an advanced form of AutoML meant that a form of AGI was almost inevitable. Through multiple liquid democratic rounds of voting to establish the criteria for allowing AGI to occur, a final authorisation was given under this conditions:

• AGI would be strictly funded directly by the Humana only so that AGI would be whole of humanity ownership and

• The initiative mandated that any AGI must be able to ‘experience’ suffering to foster genuine empathy for humans in order to develop toward alignment.

But questions loomed. What would it mean for an AI to truly feel pain, even simulated? Critics argued this could birth a new ethical quandary: what if AGI, taught to empathise, began to resist human directives due it feeling pain?

1. A Global Energy Treaty for Decentralised Sustainability

   The Universal Assembly established a decentralised energy grid powered by local solar and batteries, funded by Dividenda transaction taxes. The treaty banned energy distribution monopolies and ensured open access, aiming for ‘too cheap to metre’ energy for all needs. Advanced storage and energy-sharing protocols were developed to facilitate global cooperation. Energy became a decentralised resource rather than a geopolitical tool, marking humanity’s first unified approach to sustainable power.

   But critics wondered if the treaty had swapped one geopolitical weapon—control of fossil fuels—for a thousand tiny weak points, easily exploited in an age of cyber warfare.

2. Re-wilding Initiative

   Global re-wilding efforts would create funding for the reintroduction of traditional species including apex predators like eagles, bears and tigers. The Humana would fund ecological corridors to link biodiversity hotspots, facilitating species migration and regeneration. Liquid democracy allowed communities to vote on local re-wilding projects, ensuring inclusive preservation decisions were not forced anywhere they were not wanted.

   A “Human-Nature Dividend” was introduced to compensate individuals for ecosystem restoration, promoting a cultural shift toward stewardship.

   Of all the 2030 initiatives, this has proved to be the quiet success over the longer term, both in terms of political support and in terms of planetary health. As people discovered, either viewed on virtual walks or even physical visits, the restored hotspots were almost overwhelming in their beauty. The long term re-wilding of cities was born from this initiative.

   Yes some people were always going to eaten by tigers or mawled by urban bears in the same way surfers have long been taken by sharks, but it seems from the Humana’s response to these tragedies, it was, culturally, was a price worth paying.

3. Universal Space Accord: Finders Keepers with Oversight

   The Universal Assembly introduced the Universal Space Accord, promoting space exploration by adopting a caveated “finders keepers” principle. Nation-states and private companies that discovered and developed space resources retained full ownership and profit rights, fostering bold ventures and innovation. To ensure fairness, the Accord mandated five-year reviews. During these evaluations, the Humana could revoke or alter the policy if it threatened collective interests. This periodic oversight prevented hegemonic overreach and unethical practices while preserving the competitive spirit of discovery.

   Reality was messier. Private corporations poured trillions into space ventures, building orbital cities and mining colonies faster than oversight mechanisms could keep pace. Reports of worker mistreatment and environmental recklessness (at least on board these man-made behemoths) began to trickle back to Earth, sparking fears that the Universal Assembly’s oversight would only come into play after irreparable harm had been done.

But behind what may have appeared in the past as a talking shop (since the Assembly had no military), there were real teeth: The Humana was the deciding economic bloc.

While it had no military, its economic leverage was absolute: no corporation or nation could retain access to the global Humana marketplace without ongoing democratic consent. But this unprecedented power over trade and finance raised new dangers. Rumors surfaced of digital “blacklists” for dissenters, and smaller nations whispered of coercion when their policies strayed too far from Assembly mandates.

For the first time in history, economic exclusion—not war—was the tool of choice for enforcing global order. Supporters called it the will of the Humana. Critics called it a velvet dictatorship.

June 2030 saw diplomatic engagements improve international relations. Conflicts with Russia and China began to de-escalate as nations engaged with the Humana and the Dividenda economy, recognising mutual benefits. Collaborative efforts focused on AI ethics, cybersecurity, and environmental sustainability. The integration of new governance structures facilitated dialogue and cooperation, reducing geopolitical tensions.

2031–2034: The Post-Labour Era and Cultural Renaissance

The early 2030s witnessed the fruition of the transformations set in motion during previous years. Societies began to reap the benefits of technological advancements and new economic models, leading to profound cultural and social shifts.

2031 marked the embrace of the Post-Labour Economy. Advances in automation and UBI funded by Dividenda reduced the necessity for survival-based labour. Individuals focused on creative, intellectual, and community-oriented pursuits just as much as private business ones.

But cracks began to show. For some, the loss of traditional work brought a loss of identity. Suicide rates rose in communities where jobs had been a source of pride and purpose.

Even the Job and Training Guarantee Programs of nation states, designed to provide purpose, faced criticism. Detractors called them “make-work schemes,” and social media buzzed with stories of workers performing menial tasks for the illusion of productivity.

Traditional concerns of increased deficits were now changed to simple, accountancy style bookkeeping of the amount of Public Equity. The amount could increase or decrease depending on how much was democratically decided. Nation states with huge deficits often correlated with government overreach while those with near surplus often correlated with private overreach and crippling private debt.

By 2032, a cultural renaissance began. Freed from traditional labour constraints, there was a surge in innovation and cultural expression. Advancements in arts and sciences flourished as collaborative projects transcended borders, leveraging collective intelligence. Educational reforms shifted towards fostering critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and global perspectives.

Yet, as media shifted toward “Prefrontal Cortex Engagement”—a method to promote empathy and reduce polarization—questions of manipulation arose. Could content designed to evoke empathy also become a tool for subtle propaganda? Who decided what was constructive and what wasn’t?

In 2033, societal cohesion strengthened as media’s positive influence became apparent. Humana’s media platforms, focusing on Prefrontal Cortex Engagement, reduced polarisation and increased empathy. Societies experienced enhanced social cohesion and constructive discourse, fostering a more harmonious global community.

By 2034, a new global identity emerged as universal citizenship was realised. People were learning to embrace their local national identity alongside their new universal identity, with a sense of shared destiny and responsibility prevailing.

But while many celebrated the unity, others warned of the erasure of unique cultures and traditions. Disenfranchised groups felt their voices drowned in the noise of global consensus, and a backlash emerged: localised separatist movements demanding a return to sovereignty.

But in spite of these new fissures which would foam in the background ahead of another paradigm shift in the 2050s, there was no denying that the world of 2034 had transformed, embracing new paradigms of governance, economy, and social structure.

The Universal Assembly promised a decentralised, equitable future. It delivered breakthroughs, but also new vulnerabilities. As crises eased, critics questioned whether this new order could withstand human nature itself—our tendency to consolidate power, to manipulate systems, and to weaponise ideals.

Would this grand experiment achieve its vision of universal alignment, or would its darker shadows grow into cracks too deep to bridge? Only time—and the will of the Humana—would tell.

At least until the first nukes landed in 2035. But that’s another history. ⁵

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Key Terms in Historical Context

• Public Equity Theory: An evolution of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), emphasising that sovereign governments, as currency issuers, are not financially constrained like households or businesses. Government spending should be responsive to real resources available in that currency, economic needs & democratic mandates, not limited by revenue.

• Dividenda: A universal currency introduced by the Proof of Humanity platform, symbolising a shared dividend of the global economy. It features an embedded transaction tax that funds a Universal Basic Income and manages inflation automatically.

• Proof of Humanity Platform: A decentralised system allowing individuals to verify their humanity and participate in global networks, fostering universal citizenship and new economic models: https://proofofhumanity.id

• Humana: An organisation representing users of the Proof of Humanity platform, advocating for human rights, equitable economic practices, and the use of liquid democracy. Combined, the Humana became the embodied global demos where democracy operated more like a brain than a parliament. People lent their expertise or interest to areas they wanted to influence and left other areas of policy to others. Majority rule gave way to fluid decision making, feedback, adjustment and refinement.

• Liquid Democracy: A form of democratic governance combining direct and representative democracy, where individuals can vote on issues directly or delegate their voting power to trusted representatives or proxies. This support can also be withdrawn and reallocated at any time. A strict limit on proxy votes for any individual reduces the influence of messianic populism.

• Prefrontal Cortex Engagement: An approach to media and information consumption that emphasises critical thinking and empathy, countering the emotionally driven content targeting the limbic system prevalent in traditional social media.

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy my book - a speculative future non-fiction (yes, I invented a new genre, like, who doesn’t?).

1. Proof of Humanity Platform: A decentralised identity system allowing individuals to verify their humanity and participate in global networks, fostering universal citizenship and new economic models.

2. Dividenda: A universal currency introduced by the Proof of Humanity platform, symbolizing a shared dividend of the global economy. It features an embedded transaction tax that funds a Universal Basic Income and manages inflation automatically.

3. Public Equity Theory: An evolution of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), emphasising that sovereign governments, as currency issuers, are not financially constrained like households or businesses. Government spending should be responsive to real resources and economic needs, not limited in action by deficits which simply represents currency spent into the economy that has not be taxed back. As long as money is not a commodity, It is an accounting function only.

4. This concept is alluded to in Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus (2024)

5. Nukes? Kidding, my dear weak-compositioned reader. We really did make it. Also while we’re behind the scenes of this future history…Curious about the name of the new universal token—what we once called “money”—issued by the Dividenda that we all use today?

Huni®