Psychologist Warns: Technology Advances Faster Than Society, and That's Dangerous
Croatian psychologist and AI researcher Aco Momčilović warns of a societal gap and the need for a comprehensive analysis of technology's impact.
Croatian psychologist and AI researcher Aco Momčilović warns of a societal gap and the need for a comprehensive analysis of technology's impact.
While innovations in artificial intelligence are multiplying at an exponential rate, society, legislation, and educational systems are lagging behind, creating a dangerous gap. This was highlighted in an interview with Novi list by Aco Momčilović, a psychologist, AI researcher, and AI educator, who emphasized that the greatest threat is not a machine uprising, but our own adaptation to their demands.
Momčilović explains that the current technological momentum is not the result of a single discovery, but of the mutual reinforcement of multiple processes, from the growth of computing power to the explosion of data measured in zettabytes. As key reading for understanding this trend, he recommends the book "Singularity" by futurist Ray Kurzweil.
"Unlike a physical product, a digital product can be almost instantly scaled to billions of users, as we've seen with various examples from TikTok to ChatGPT in recent years. That's why innovations no longer develop linearly: each new technology becomes a tool for creating the next one," Momčilović told Novi list. He warns that artificial intelligence further accelerates this cycle because, for the first time in history, it is not just a subject of research but also its active instrument.
The key problem of our time, Momčilović believes, lies in the mismatched pace of change. "Technology advances exponentially, while education, legislation, institutions, and organizational culture change much more slowly. This very gap is one of the key problems of our time. We don't just lack technology; we lack the societal capacity to understand its consequences and steer its application," he stated.
Comparing Croatia and EU countries with nations leading AI development is a particularly interesting aspect of his research. He plans to discuss this topic at the 4th CRANE FORUM, organized by Davorin Štetner for special guests near Jastrebarsko.
When asked whether we live under a cult of technology, Momčilović responds cautiously: "Partially yes, but the term 'cult of technology' should be used carefully to avoid falling into an equally simplistic anti-technology stance. The problem isn't that we believe technology can solve many problems-it truly can."
The real problem arises when technology is credited with the ability to solve issues that are primarily political, ethical, or social. "An app won't solve loneliness on its own, an algorithm won't eliminate inequality, and digitizing an inefficient process can only create a faster and more expensive version of the same inefficiency," he explained. Technocentrism, he adds, is recognized by the assumption that every innovation is automatically progress, while ignoring questions of who benefits and who bears the risk.
For years, Momčilović has repeated in his lectures that the biggest mistake is viewing technology solely as a technical issue. "We need simultaneous economic, psychological, educational, legal, political, cultural, and philosophical analysis," he emphasizes. As part of this, within the Croatian Psychological Chamber, he is involved in drafting the first guidelines for the use of AI intended for psychologists.
In education, he points out that it's not enough to simply add more technology and STEAM content; it's crucial to preserve critical thinking, creativity, and frustration tolerance. He will also present his views at the conference "AI Perspectives 2026: Philosophy, Society, and Technology" at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, where Lovre de Grisogono also works.
From his research within IPMA on the application of artificial intelligence in project management, Momčilović highlights a key competency: "The key competency is no longer just knowing how to use AI, but knowing when to trust it, when to verify it, and when to reject its proposal."
Through the show UI Central Point, he aims to present AI from different perspectives, and in the UI Art Singularity project, he uses art as a space for societal questioning of technology. The exhibition Beyond the Game is currently open, which uses AI-generated images to tell stories about football's impact on society. "Technology shouldn't just be demonstrated; it should be interpreted, criticized, and placed in a human context," he conveys.
Speaking about the future, Momčilović warns that elements of dystopia already exist: "We have a surveillance economy, algorithmic attention management, the spread of misinformation, concentration of power in a few companies, and citizens' decreasing ability to understand the systems that make decisions about them." Particularly dangerous are non-transparent profiling of people and automated decision-making without real human oversight, and the development of AI for military purposes is yet to be seen.
One possible outcome is cognitive polarization. "Some people will use AI to expand their abilities, learn faster, and ask better questions. Others will delegate an increasing part of their thinking to it or use it only for entertainment," he predicts. The division of the future will thus no longer be just between those who have and don't have access to technology, but between "first-class and second-class citizens" based on the discipline of using AI to strengthen one's own thinking.
Although he believes it's increasingly difficult to predict the future, Momčilović doesn't advocate stopping digitalization, but rather breaking the assumption that what is technically possible is automatically socially desirable. Instead of asking "can we automate this," he suggests we ask: "what do we gain from automation, what do we lose, who decides, and can humans retain real control?"
If AI reduces the need for human labor, society will face questions of identity and purpose, not just income. "Humans don't just need comfort; they need meaningful effort and a sense of acting upon the world," Momčilović concludes, announcing his upcoming research titled "AI and the End of Cognitive Privilege."
Ultimately, he emphasizes: "The greatest risk isn't that machines will become like humans, but that we will gradually adapt our behavior to the demands of machines and platforms." The future will therefore be determined not only by machine intelligence, but also by our ability to remain autonomous and responsible in deciding what technology should serve.
