“Father of the Digital Economy” Don Tapscott Makes a Bold Prediction: The Er...

"Identic AI represents more than a technological advance. It is a new relationship between humans and intelligence itself. It gives every person the ability to act with greater foresight, understanding, and empathy." These are the words of Don Tapscott, a world-renowned thinker in technology, as he wrote in a recent joint column published by the TMTPost App and Barron's China. In this article, Tapscott—once again—makes a bold prediction for the age of AI: Identic AI will become a groundbreaking partnership model for the co-evolution of humans and AI.

Widely hailed as the “Father of the Digital Economy,” Tapscott accurately predicted, as far back as the era of Wikinomics and Blockchain Revolution, how collaborative and distributed technologies would reshape the world. Now, he has set his sights on the next phase of artificial intelligence—Identic AI—and systematically explores how it will profoundly change both individuals and society as a whole.

In his column article, Tapscott offers a comprehensive analysis of how Identic AI will move from simply “assisting” to truly “collaborating,” how it will give rise to “dynamic digital identities,” and ultimately become a “human capability amplifier” that unlocks personal potential and drives societal progress. He also underscores the vital importance of building frameworks of trust and cultivating a new generation of skills for the AI era, offering a panoramic blueprint for us to understand the future of human-machine relationships.

Following the release of the article, we are also honored to welcome Don Tapscott as a distinguished guest at the 2025 T-EDGE, where he will engage with users worldwide in an in-depth exploration of this transformation: as the era of Identic AI arrives, how can humanity and AI co-create new types of identity relationships?

Below is the article: “Identic AI: A New Partnership Between Humans and Intelligent Machines”:

By Don Tapscott

A new chapter of artificial intelligence is opening before us. Technology is no longer only a set of tools but a living partner that can understand us, learn from us, and work with us. We are entering the age of Identic AI, a world where intelligent digital companions act as extensions of our own minds and values.

From Assistance to Collaboration

In the past, artificial intelligence focused on automation that predicted, sorted, and optimized information. Identic AI represents the next step, systems that learn from each person’s experience and act as trusted collaborators. They understand individual goals and preferences, helping us make decisions, manage complexity, and focus on creativity and innovation.

Imagine beginning the day as your personal AI quietly prepares the schedule, summarizes key information, and suggests solutions to emerging problems. It does not replace human judgment. It expands our ability to act wisely and efficiently. Within a few years, this kind of partnership will become as common as the smartphone is today.

The Evolution of Identity

Each of us already has a digital presence that records our interactions, interests, and achievements. Identic AI transforms that digital record into something active and intelligent, a dynamic identity that represents us faithfully in the digital world. It can coordinate our professional lives, monitor health, support education, and guide personal development.

For professionals, Identic AI will become a thinking partner that analyzes data, identifies opportunities, and generates ideas. For families, it will coordinate learning, healthcare, and finances. For lifelong learners, it will act as a personal mentor that creates individualized study paths. In daily life, it will serve as cultural curator, wellness coach, and trusted adviser.

The result is not a world where machines dominate people but one where human capability is multiplied. By freeing us from repetitive tasks, Identic AI allows us to focus on imagination, empathy, and wisdom, the qualities that make us most human.

Advancing Society Together

The potential impact reaches far beyond the individual. In healthcare, intelligent agents can analyze patterns in daily life, detect early signs of illness, and recommend preventive actions. In education, they can adapt lessons to each student’s pace, helping teachers guide students more effectively. In business, they can increase productivity and encourage fair, data-driven decision making.

In public life, Identic AI can also improve how communities function. Intelligent systems could help citizens understand policies, model local effects, and offer constructive feedback. This cooperation between people, institutions, and technology could strengthen participation and make governance more responsive and transparent.

Used wisely, Identic AI can enhance both efficiency and harmony, supporting collective well-being as well as personal growth.

Building Trustworthy Digital Identity

As digital companions become central to everyday life, trust becomes the foundation of progress. The data that define us must be managed with transparency and care. The goal is not ownership in a narrow sense but responsible stewardship of information.

Technological advances now make it possible for individuals and institutions to share data securely while maintaining accountability. Encryption, authentication, and distributed data systems can ensure that information flows safely and that personal privacy and social stability are both protected.

In this way, Identic AI can evolve within a trustworthy framework that respects human dignity and builds public confidence. Collaboration among technology developers, businesses, and governments will be essential to achieve this balance.

Education for the Identic Era

The emergence of Identic AI also calls for a new kind of literacy, an understanding of how intelligent systems learn, make decisions, and reflect our intentions. Schools and universities can help people develop this literacy so that everyone can guide their digital partners wisely.

This is not only a technical skill but a social responsibility. When people understand how to cooperate with intelligent machines, they can use them to solve common challenges from climate change to aging populations while preserving human judgment and creativity.

A Shared Future of Harmony and Wisdom

Throughout history, great technological revolutions have reshaped human life. The printing press spread knowledge, the industrial age expanded productivity, and the digital revolution connected billions of people. Each era brought new responsibilities as well as opportunities.

The rise of Identic AI is the next step in this evolution. It invites us to create harmony between natural intelligence and artificial intelligence. Rather than fearing change, we can guide it with moral insight and collective purpose. By aligning technology with human values, societies everywhere can ensure that progress benefits all.

Identic AI can help humanity move toward a more balanced civilization, one that combines the precision of machines with the compassion and creativity of people. It can strengthen education, improve healthcare, and enable communities to flourish. Above all, it can help individuals realize their potential in partnership with the intelligence they have created.

You to the Power of Two

Identic AI represents more than a technological advance. It is a new relationship between humans and intelligence itself. It gives every person the ability to act with greater foresight, understanding, and empathy.

If guided by wisdom and cooperation, Identic AI can help build a future where technology serves humanity and humanity inspires technology. It is an opportunity for people and intelligent systems to grow together, a world where knowledge and compassion combine to form a higher kind of intelligence.

That is the meaning of you to the power of two, a partnership between human and machine that enhances both and moves the world toward a future of shared prosperity and understanding.

Author’s Note for NextFin.AI

This article is based on the forthcoming book You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI (BenBella Books, 2025), now being translated into Chinese. In this work, Joseph M. Bradley and I explore how Identic AI, the next stage of artificial intelligence, can deepen cooperation between humans and machines. We believe that technology and humanity must progress together, guided by wisdom, trust, and shared values. We are honored to bring these ideas to Chinese readers, whose leadership in innovation will help shape this new era of intelligent civilization.

— Don Tapscott, 2025

If you wish to engage in an in-depth, face-to-face discussion with this intellectual giant about how Identic AI will transform your industry and personal development path, be sure to closely follow and participate in the2025 T-EDGE Global Dialogue. During the event, he will join Jany Zhao Hejuan, the founder & chairwoman of NextFin.AI and publisher of Barron's China, for an exciting episode of "Jany Talk."

The 2025 T-EDGEis hosted by TMTPost Group. Scheduled from December 8 to 21, 2025, its main venue will be in Beijing, connecting with global innovation hubs in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Haikou, Hong Kong, Silicon Valley, Toronto, Singapore, and Dubai. Centered on the theme "Global Conversations for the Era of AI," the event adopts a hybrid model, combining global online connections and in-person closed-door meetings. It will bring together top scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors from around the world for a truly trans-border feast of ideas.

For more exciting content, visit the official website of the 2025 T-EDGE Global Dialogue