A revolutionary technological shift could arrive during Donald Trump’s second term. If Trump is Canada’s ballot question, the stakes in this election just got much higher.

These three journalists differ in their areas of expertise, but they converge on their key message about AGI: it will be profoundly disruptive, yet the public is scarcely aware it is happening, and governments remain utterly unprepared.

“We are on the cusp of an era in human history that is unlike any we have experienced,” says Klein. “And we’re not prepared, in part because it’s not clear what it means to prepare…”

Roose agrees: “people and institutions are totally unprepared for the A.I. systems that exist today, let alone more powerful ones, and… there is no realistic plan at any level of government to mitigate the risks or capture the benefits of these systems.”

For clarity, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to a general-purpose AI system capable of performing virtually all human cognitive tasks. "Superintelligence" refers to knowledge surpassing human capacity by orders of magnitude, providing extraordinary mastery of fields like science, military strategy, or finance.

Friedman regards the merging of these two AI systems as “an earthshaking event,” the birthing of “a new species—the superintelligent machine.”

Critically, Klein emphasizes this two-to-three-year horizon falls squarely within Trump's second term. This is not an accident. A major difference between Trump's first and second presidencies is his strategic pivot towards Big Tech and AI, complementing his inward-looking nationalism with a bold, globally ambitious agenda.

His administration is deeply engaged in AI, actively supporting the rapid development of data centres around the country and the world. Trump’s advisors recognize that these centres are to the 21st century what railways and ships were to the 19th. America needs them to dominate emerging global AI markets. As Vice-President JD Vance recently made clear at an AI conference in Paris, Trump’s global agenda isn't just economic—it is also about geopolitical power.

Roose warns of this tight connection between AI capacity and geopolitical power: “Over the next decade, powerful A.I. will generate trillions of dollars in economic value and tilt the balance of political and military power toward the nations that control it.” So, who will control it?

The Trump White House sees only two contenders: America and China, and Trump is clear about his determination to see America succeed. The administration’s plan to dominate these new markets is at the core of Trump 2.0’s understanding of the “America First” doctrine.

Interestingly, the NYT Triad seems less aligned on this point than others. Klein explores the race between China and America to develop AGI at length, as well as Trump's conviction that this is a race America must win, showing both signs of sympathy and doubt.

Friedman, however, who penned his column during a visit to China for an AI conference, pleads for international cooperation, clearly viewing the prospect of an AI arms race as disastrous.

Still, all three sound the same alarm: AI is imminent, the public is unprepared, and governments have failed to act—and Klein, at least, is convinced that our governments have failed us. They could and should have acted but didn’t. They have known for some time that AGI is coming. Indeed, he explicitly titles his podcast, The Government Knows A.G.I. Is Coming.

This rebuke raises big questions about our election. For Canada, this timeline means superintelligence will emerge within the mandate of our next prime minister—assuming a Liberal or Conservative majority. Yet, astonishingly, Canada’s political parties have remained silent—even as our relationship with America, and the shape of our own future, hang in the balance. Are our leaders really that obtuse about AI?

Plenty of AGI sceptics remain, but the world may be at a turning point for public awareness and political engagement. The insider reports have been convincing enough to persuade three prominent journalists from one of America’s most respected news organizations to sound the alarm on AGI. It's a powerful indication that governments and citizens everywhere may soon have to confront their own preparedness, by choice or necessity.

We should thank these NYT journalists. They have put their reputations on the line to speak out about what’s coming. It’s time for Canada’s political leaders to do the same—starting with this election.

Don Lenihan PhD is an expert in public engagement with a long-standing focus on how digital technologies are transforming societies, governments, and governance. This column appears weekly. To see earlier instalments in the series, click here.