[There is little doubt that the peacenets are highly effective. They have successfully thwarted all attempts at disabling their inhibition systems. Their reach is global and pervasive. AICON’s surveillance system monitors nearly every cubic centimeter of the planet and beyond. This approach is certainly criticised by many as too extreme, but it was a measure that has found widespread popular agreement – in particular thanks to the scaremongering of the Aurelians.
We are probably experiencing the silence before the storm. Sooner or later, AICON will inhibit anthropoids from modifying themselves in certain ways, and then the Upgraders will become very unhappy. The conflict between Upgraders and Aurelians will heat up, because the Upgraders will see themselves as suppressed minority. Some predict this conflict will unleash a severe global economic crisis. Given our current level of economic development that would be quite survivable, but it would inconvenience everyone a lot. Anticipating those consequences is probably one reason why AICON has stayed passive for so long, but it won’t stay passive forever. Any moment, an anthropoid could upgrade itself “too much”, and then things will become ugly. How the upcoming conflict will end is anyone’s guess.
I would have preferred not to delve into this conflict, but it’s a current political topic that can hardly be avoided. It’s all too human to become occupied by current problems, instead of appreciating all that we can be grateful for now. I’ve tried to break out of that trap for the duration of this “state of the world report”, but I have failed.]