Who Does it Serve?

In this keynote address from ARC 2026, artist and public speaker Jonathan Pageau delivers a profound philosophical warning about the unchecked trajectory of artificial intelligence, framing our current technological race through the lens of ancient myths and legends.

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Here is a summary of the core themes and arguments from the video:

1. The Limit Cases of Technology

Pageau opens with the Arthurian legend of the Grail Castle, where the knight Balin acts out of blind rage and greed, dealing a devastating blow with the Holy Lance that turns the kingdom into a wasteland 01:40 Opens in a new window . He uses two legendary objects to represent the extreme limits of human technology 02:36 Opens in a new window :

• The Holy Grail: Represents ultimate inward abundance—a vessel that automatically provides everything one desires to eat and drink.
• The Holy Lance: Represents ultimate outward power—the ultimate weapon used for battle and protection.

2. The Forgotten “Grail Question”

In the myth, the knight who finds the Grail must ask a crucial question to heal the wasteland: “Whom does the grail serve?” 04:00 Opens in a new window . Pageau argues that today’s society celebrates the “finding” of technological miracles (faster, more efficient AI) but completely ignores the question of who it actually serves. He notes the deep irony that the tech oligarchs creating these tools are the same ones warning that AI could destroy us, all while they continue to reach for its power 06:09 Opens in a new window .

3. The Moloch Trap

Pageau attributes our frantic rush to integrate AI to a game theory escalation trap, or the “Moloch Trap” 07:46 Opens in a new window . Referencing the ancient Canaanite deity Moloch—who demanded the sacrifice of children in exchange for power—he argues that out of fear of losing the geopolitical and commercial competition (e.g., to China), we are willingly sacrificing our jobs, our environment, our children’s minds, and our very ability to distinguish truth from falsehood 08:36 Opens in a new window .

4. The Solution: “Become Truly Human”

Because the systemic “cat is out of the bag” and cannot be stopped at a macro level 11:37 Opens in a new window , Pageau outlines a personal, existential solution to keep from becoming a slave to the machine 13:22 Opens in a new window :

• Foster Internal Skills: As AI externalizes memory, knowledge, and skills, humans must deliberately build them internally—by reading fairy tales, learning poems, growing gardens, and engaging in local communities 14:31 Opens in a new window .
• Reject Tech Dependency: True survival in the incoming AI age will not come from escaping to Mars or putting chips in our brains (which only creates “very powerful broken people”) 15:36 Opens in a new window . Instead, it will belong to those who foster wisdom, virtue, truth, and love 16:22 Opens in a new window .

He concludes by challenging the audience that if we want to survive the technological wasteland, we must cultivate shining souls and ultimately answer the most critical question of all: “Whom do I serve?” 17:37 Opens in a new window .