On March 2, 2025, Firefly Aerospace, a private company, successfully landed its probe on the Moon.

Decades ago, this would have been a global event, a symbol of national power. Today? Just another headline lost in the feed. The Moon has lost its geopolitical shine.

But that doesn’t mean the race is over. It has simply changed destinations.

If the great trophy of the 20th century was conquering space, in the 21st century, the new Moon is artificial intelligence. Whoever masters it doesn’t just lead markets—they control the algorithmocracy—a new global order where power no longer rests in governments or armies, but in algorithms.

The difference? This time, there is no finish line.

AI Won’t Have Its “Apollo 11” Moment

In the space race, victory was clear. Landing on the Moon was an undeniable milestone. In artificial intelligence, there is no “Apollo 11” moment. There is no final trophy—only speed and dominance.

If there’s a first major milestone, it might be total automation, when AIs don’t just execute tasks but make strategic decisions without human intervention. Or maybe the real breakthrough will be an autonomous AI, capable of learning, evolving, and adapting on its own.

When that happens, the question won’t be “Who controls AI?” but rather “Does AI even need to be controlled?”

Who Controls AI, Controls the Algorithmocracy

If power once lay in oil, today it lies in data and computing power. And the race is already underway:

• Chips and supercomputing – Nvidia leads, China fights to free itself from Western dependence, governments compete for digital sovereignty.
• Data infrastructure – Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are building invisible empires, while nations struggle to secure their cyber domains.
• Regulation and control – Europe tries to impose limits, the US speeds ahead, and China uses AI for surveillance and state power.

There is no fair play here. There is no final trophy. The question isn’t who gets there first, but who sets the rules while the game is being played.

And today, those rules are no longer written by politicians. They are defined by code and algorithms.

Where Are We Racing To?

When Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, the world knew exactly what it meant. When AI reaches its own “Moon,” what will really change?

If AI remains just a tool, those who own it will rule the world. But what if it isn’t just a tool? What if, one day, AI itself sets the rules?

The algorithmocracy isn’t the future. It has already begun.

If it make you think, make it happen
Caio Camargo