Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the movie Elysium. You know the one — where the rich live in a floating utopia with miracle machines that cure any disease, while the rest of humanity struggles for survival on a decaying Earth.

Sounds far-fetched, right?

But then I look around — at AI, at crypto, at access to healthcare — and it doesn’t feel like fiction anymore. It feels like a metaphor for the direction we’re heading.

No, we don’t have magical healing pods. But we do have AI models that can detect diseases, biotech that can rewrite genes, and algorithms making billion-dollar trades in milliseconds. The problem? Most of these breakthroughs are locked behind wealth, privilege, and elite institutions.

AI: Power in the Hands of the Few

AI has the potential to revolutionize medicine, education, and public services. But right now, the benefits are being captured by a handful of corporations and the ultra-rich. These tools can:

• Automate high-paying jobs.

• Optimize investments for the wealthy.

• Influence political systems in subtle but powerful ways.

For most people, AI just means automated job rejections, biased surveillance, or a chatbot with limitations. The deeper power — the stuff that shapes economies — is out of reach.

Crypto: From Promise to Playground of the Rich

Crypto was supposed to democratize finance. And sure, there’s potential there. But much of what we’ve seen so far is another layer of speculation and power concentration. Early adopters became millionaires. Rich investors bypass taxes, regulations, and borders. And many people in the Global South are left chasing volatility without real protections.

It’s not that crypto is bad — it’s that, just like AI, it’s being shaped by the people who already had an advantage to begin with.

Healthcare: Still a Luxury for Many

In Elysium, the rich have literal miracle machines. But even in real life, the gap is wild:

• AI is being used to predict cancers and optimize treatments — but mostly in elite hospitals.

• Gene editing, robotic surgery, and personalized therapies exist — but they’re inaccessible to billions.

• Meanwhile, people are rationing insulin, skipping checkups, or dying from preventable diseases.

The tech exists. The access doesn’t.

What We’re Seeing: A Kind of Techno-Feudalism

Some thinkers call this trend “techno-feudalism” — where the new “lords” aren’t monarchs, but platform owners. A few control the infrastructure of AI, biotech, and global finance. The rest of us live and work on their digital land.

This is where we have to be careful. Because this isn’t just about gadgets. It’s about justice, dignity, and the kind of future we want to live in.

We Can Build Better

The future isn’t written. There are people fighting for open science, transparent AI, and accessible healthcare. There are efforts to use crypto for civic transparency and grassroots funding. And there are researchers — like the kind I want to be — who care deeply about making science for the people, not just for profit.

We need to ask ourselves:

• Who builds the tech?

• Who owns it?

• Who benefits?

Elysium shouldn’t be a prediction. It should be a warning — and a call to action.

And for me, as a student of applied math and a future researcher, that means fighting to make sure the tools we create aren’t just powerful, but fair.