The World Was Fine Before AI — So What Are We Actually Chasing?

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment: before AI arrived, the world was doing just fine.

I still remember my high school days around 2011 to 2014. Mornings heading to school, afternoons hanging out with friends, nights doing homework — sometimes copying, sometimes pulling all-nighters. Nobody felt their life was incomplete because there was no machine that could write an essay in ten seconds. We laughed, we grieved, we fell in love; everything ran its course. The world lacked nothing.

Now, open today’s tech news. It’s AI, AI, and more AI. A new model this week, an even bigger one from another company next week. And the investments are no joke: hundreds of trillions of rupiah poured in as if this were a race that must not pause for even a second. It feels like watching a race with no finish line — everyone flooring the gas, but nobody knows where they’re actually headed.

This is where I start wondering: who actually asked for all of this?

I don’t remember ever sitting quietly and thinking, “my life is lacking because AI doesn’t exist yet.” Human needs are, honestly, simple: a full stomach, a healthy family, a good night’s sleep, and a little peace of mind. None of those were ever screaming to be given a chatbot.

So what is actually being chased?

From what I can see, it’s not human needs — it’s four other things. First, prestige among the tech giants. Who’s first, who’s biggest. Pausing for even a moment is seen as losing, so everyone keeps running. Second, money. AI is the most powerful hype machine of the last decade: valuations up, stocks flying, capital flowing. Third, power. Whoever controls AI gets a say in the direction of the world. And fourth — the quietest but the strongest — fear. Nations fear falling behind other nations. Companies fear being overtaken by competitors. So everyone keeps pushing, not because they need to, but because they’re afraid of being left behind.

Ironically, this technology is said to be built “for humans.” But when was the last time humans were sat down and asked, “what do you actually need?” We were never consulted. We’re just handed the results of the race, then forced to adapt our lives around them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-AI. As I’ve written before, AI helps my daily work tremendously. But there’s a difference between using a tool and being chased by one. Today it feels like we’re the ones being chased: chased by updates, chased by trends, chased by the fear of falling behind.

Maybe it’s time we paused for a moment — not to stop using AI, but to pause and ask: who is all this frenzy actually for?

“Technology should answer human needs, not invent new needs to keep humans running.”

— Kurniawan, September 2026