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The 23rd century AI completely dominates the planet now. Almost every aspect of world affairs is controlled by superintelligent entities formed of billions of inorganic minds working in unison. These "Artilects" work at speeds and scales that would be incomprehensible to observers from the 21st century. Global issues that persisted for years in the past can now be resolved on timescales measured in hours, minutes or even less. The medium which used to be known as the Internet has evolved into something quite profound: for many people it has replaced physical reality entirely. Reverse engineering of the brain, combined with advanced nanotechnology, allows human minds to be fully detached and immersed within digital environments. These virtual worlds offer a kind of immortality now. Despite the environmental catastrophe which has ravaged Earth, the awesome resources available online mean that war, conflict, poverty and disease are gradually being consigned to history. The knowledge and education that is free to everyone has fostered a culture of trust and cooperation, while technological breakthroughs are continuing to raise living standards. Only a few backwater, insular nations remain unaffected - perhaps due to dictatorial governments, religious institutions, geographical isolation or other factors. Even these parochial places will soon be joining the rest of humanity. Although virtual reality dominates today's culture, physical reality still holds great interest for many. In one of the largest projects ever undertaken, the natural world is restored to its pre-industrial state, with vast areas of forest and grassland replanted, many extinct species brought back to life, countless fish reintroduced to the oceans, and purification of the Earth's atmosphere and water. Strict limits on the gathering of resources are enforced, with the aim of never again returning to the nightmare of the 21st century. The space industry goes through another transformation. Venus and Mars both have terraforming programmes underway; the latter is now home to many large cities. The Moon, too, has millions of permanent inhabitants. Asteroid mining is a booming industry, with numerous operations underway. There are dozens of scientific stations on the moons of the gas giants. The Kuiper Belt is fully probed and catalogued, as is the Oort Cloud. Beyond the Oort Cloud, a huge network of telescopes is constructed. Throughout this period, numerous Earth-like planets are observed throughout the galaxy, though even the nearest of these worlds is dozens of light years away. However, anti-matter propulsion is allowing the first manned exploration of neighbouring stars, with the Alpha Centauri system and others gaining their first permanent colonies. Meanwhile, the secrets of the Universe itself - and the origin of matter - are close to being finally solved by the world's top scientists and AI programs...
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