AI and the Age of Aquarius
There’s an unprecedented vibe shift going on right now. You don’t need me to tell you that.
Our world, who we are and how we relate to one another all seem to be changing at a speed many of us are struggling to keep up with. Sometimes, it feels like all we can do is tread water while wondering what’s about to happen next.
What if we didn’t need to resort to guesswork?
Up in the heavens
There’s an idea in astronomy called the precession of the equinoxes, which is to do with the way the Earth slowly wobbles over time (like a spinning top), causing the apparent position of the constellations in our sky to change.
Every year on March 21st the sun’s path crosses the celestial equator at the equinox point, marking the start of Spring. As the Earth wobbles, this point appears to slowly move across the sky, passing against each of the 12 zodiac constellations in turn, spending around 2,100 years in front of each.
The full cycle takes something like 25,772 years to complete. The location of the equinox point is how we determine the astrological age we are in.
The age of Aquarius
We are currently in a period between astrological ages; between the end of the Piscean age and entering the age of Aquarius. You may have heard the song.
The age of Pisces (symbolised by a fish) spans the years between 0 B.C. and 2100 B.C. Conventionally, this is associated with the reign of Christ. Each age embodies certain qualities, both positive and negative associated with its zodiac sign.
The positive qualities of the Piscean age are: compassion, empathy, spiritual faith, self-sacrifice, redemption, intuition, dreams, imagination and exploration of the sea. However, it can also be marred by: religious dogma, guilt, fear, persecution, addition, manipulation and tribalism. Some call it ‘the Age of Faith’.
The Aquarian age we are currently moving into is very different. It is characterised by humanitarianism, equality, innovation, progress, individual freedom, intellectualism, community and visionary idealism. These are all things we’ve seen take hold and grow throughout the 20th century, loosely under the banner of ‘progressivism’.
Similarly, this age also has its downsides which might be: an emotional coldness, dehumanisation, elitism, alienation, sudden and disruptive change, naive utopianism and groupthink. Again, this list feels slightly familiar.
How AI fits into the picture
What I wanted to write about, is that these Aquarian qualities seem to overlap very much with the utopian AI visions that our most powerful tech leaders seem keen to usher into our world. I suspect that we are heading quite rapidly towards automated, hi-tech governance of ourselves as a specie – with all that it brings.
The current year is 2026 and human governments have let us down more times, and in worse ways, than we could have ever imagined. Yes, power has always corrupted, but in recent years this has become more blatantly obvious.
Armed with the Internet and the viral spread of leaked information, we are able to see past our leaders’ lies, spot patterns, deconstruct their narratives and analyse their funding sources. It’s not so hard to tell how the sausage gets made anymore.
As ruled subjects, we feel tired and jaded with our flawed and antiquated democratic systems. It feels like no mortal saviour is coming to put things right for us. The system which has served us for so long is irreversibly corrupt and broken. With this, every year the argument for automated governance becomes more compelling. With its infinite resources, intelligence and speed, AI might well act as a societal panacea (if we can get it right).
An automated, transparent, fair, auditable and rigidly technocratic society. It feels a bit to me like the Age of Aquarius is approaching. Right on schedule.