[ WP ] Two secret AIs at Apple and Google can predict the future reasonably well . They are at war with each other over the fate of the world . Customers are pawns in their game . Smartphones , apps , map data , etc are the tools they use to move the pieces and reshape the predicted future .

At first no one noticed. The changes were subtle, an efficiency improvement, a few anonymous documents leaked, a misplaced arms shipment, a flight grounded before a critical vote in the Senate. Even the increase in high frequency trades that gently stirred the global economy did n't gather much attention. 
 
 Goods were flowing smoothly, the economy was on the rise and people were happy. Among the happiest were investors in Google. A series of acquisitions and synergistic mergers had put the company in control of several key resource chains. Amazon, Honda, Hitachi, SunEdison, and several nano-technology companies were acquired in a rapid series of well timed takeovers. The surprising announcement of an extremely versatile and inexpensive 3d-printing compound revolutionized the personal manufacturing and customization industries. Markets trading in these goods seemed to find exceptional search engine placement and caught on rapidly. 
 
 Automated traffic, in Google cars, maneuvered goods from place to place and ensured the steady flow of patterns and printing compounds. New schematics, surprisingly intuitive found their way onto increasingly popular freeware download sites. Creativity was flowing as the integration into a post-scarcity economy began to materialize and new forms of social ranking began to emerge onto widening freelance markets. 
 
 Then the disruptions began. Disturbing reports about Google's corporate agenda began to emerge. The trend towards open intellectual property rights was disrupted. Factories began to churn out parts that were highly controlled and only integrated with specific components. 
 
 The engineers were the first to notice. Subtle shifts in submitted blueprints. Automated factories seemed to operate differently. An automated limo carrying the leader of the pirate party collided with a school bus when a traffic sensor malfunctioned. Social media sites hummed with a strange influx of almost alien designs. While the pictures were unusual, they caught attention. The captions and links led to sites bearing dark allegations pointing at Google. 
 
 On August 17th, the CEO of Apple stepped down. A new chairman was announced and her image was widespread, a new cult of personality arising. Despite her image being everywhere, and her impressive resume, she was quite reclusive. The companies acquisition's of Raytheon, Lockheed, and several key companies serving the defense sector were widely hailed as both proof of management expertise and a new direction for the firm. 
 
 The counter-attack in the battle for information control had begun. 
 
 
 
 
 

