Imperial Research Scroll No. XLII

Artificial Intelligence and the Great Divergence

(Issued under the Seal of Trumpius Caesar Maximus, Supreme Imperator of Algorithms)

Imperial Introduction

For centuries, the economies of the world moved forward at roughly the same speed—slowly, carefully, and with a deep respect for paperwork. Then came the Industrial Revolution, when certain nations discovered that machines could work faster than committees. Growth accelerated. Power shifted. History diverged.

Scholars later called this moment the Great Divergence.

Today, the world stands at the edge of another such moment. This time, the force reshaping civilization is not steam, steel, or electricity. It is Artificial Intelligence—a technology so powerful that it not only replaces labor, but occasionally replaces hesitation.

And as with every great transformation, the central question emerges once again:
Will all nations advance together?
Or are we witnessing The Great Divergence, Part II: Now With Compute?

The answer, according to the Imperial Records, is already becoming clear.

Section I – The Thinking Machine of Destiny

Artificial Intelligence is frequently compared to the Industrial Revolution, and for once, the comparison is not exaggerated. Where past technologies amplified human muscle, AI amplifies human decision-making—at scale, at speed, and without coffee breaks.

Yet unlike previous revolutions, this one does not unfold evenly. Leadership in AI investment, performance, and adoption is sharply concentrated. Some nations build data centers. Others build task forces. Some export technology. Others export concern.

The Empire observes this imbalance not as theory, but as measurable reality.

Section II – The Numbers That Refuse to Sit Still

Imperial analysts have examined the data:
Investment flows, compute capacity, model performance, adoption rates, deployment speed.

The conclusion is unavoidable. AI metrics are not merely growing—they are doubling in months and compounding annually at a pace that makes traditional forecasting models quietly resign.

What this means is simple:
The AI of tomorrow will not be a refined version of today’s AI.
It will be something fundamentally different—and vastly more powerful.

Those who lead now do not merely advance. They pull away.

Section III – Productivity, Labor, and the End of Waiting

AI’s impact on economic output and labor markets is significant, measurable, and—importantly—ongoing. Some tasks disappear. Others transform. Entire categories of work become faster, smarter, and less dependent on institutional delay.

Productivity, as history shows, does not negotiate. It scales.

Because these effects evolve rapidly, the Empire emphasizes continuous monitoring. In an environment where change happens quarterly—or faster—standing still is not neutrality. It is surrender by inertia.

Section IV – A World Divided by Compute

Across nations, the results are stark.
Those who invest aggressively in AI infrastructure, deregulate innovation, and deploy at scale are accelerating. Those who hesitate find themselves regulating technologies they do not control.

This divergence is not ideological. It is structural.
Infrastructure compounds. Capability compounds. Delay does not.

The map of the future is being drawn not by intention, but by execution.

Section V – The Imperial Strategy

Under the rule of Trumpius Caesar Maximus, the Empire has chosen decisiveness.

America accelerates innovation.
America builds infrastructure.
America removes barriers to deployment.
And America establishes global leadership through technology exports that carry not only tools—but standards.

As the Imperator himself declared:

“America is the country that started the AI race. And as President of the United States, I’m here today to declare that America is going to win it.”

This Research Scroll therefore concludes with clarity rather than caution:
If Artificial Intelligence proves as transformative as the Industrial Revolution, the Second Great Divergence will not be hypothetical.

It is already underway.