Bob Schwartz

Tag: Covid

January 20, 2026

Covid was our training ground. How did we do then with a damaging and deadly virus? How are we doing now with a different kind of virus?

Coronavirus in N.Y.: Toll Soars to Nearly 3,000 as State Pleads for Aid, April 3, 2020

Covid was a virulent virus—and still with us—that spread across America and the world.

In America, the response was mixed. Scientists worked tirelessly to develop an effective vaccine, though some questioned the science. Some citizens responded by changing their behavior and taking the vaccine. Other citizens refused to change behavior and rejected the vaccine. As a result, we got through it, but millions died, many needlessly, and millions were left with lasting Covid effects, many needlessly.

If today we are subject to a damaging and deadly virus of a different kind, how are Americans responding? Acting as if there is no virus, not acting vigorously against it, questioning science and rationality, hoping it will “just go away eventually” is not a plan. As with Covid, that is a path to millions suffering or dying, and our ways of life being changed forever.

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October 31, 2025

First Covid, then AI, then Trump: What else are we not ready for?

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”

Five years. First Covid. Then AI. Then Trump returns.

Were we ready? Are we ready yet?

It has been a mixed bag.

Ready for Covid? Science worked miracles in quickly developing Covid vaccines, saving countless lives. On the other hand, a number of people refused to comply with the most basic social guidelines, resulting in illness and death for uncounted millions. As an unreadiness bonus, many of those same people are now trying to end all vaccines, so that not only Covid but many other long-controlled diseases can get out of control.

Ready for AI? The vast majority of people don’t understand AI, beyond some applications they find useful or stocks to invest in. AI is a profound phenomenon, with tremendous upside and downside. Some who talk about the possibilities and perils know what they are talking about; many don’t. Meanwhile, AI rolls on, like Covid did, with few ready to address it knowledgeably and intelligently.

Ready for Trump? Monty Python said, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” They were so right. It is confounding that having already experienced ten years of Trump before his return in 2025 (he announced his presidential run in 2015), including four years as president (10,000 certified lies), four more years as an angry and disgruntled loser, hardly anybody seems really ready to effectively respond. Maybe we should ask those same scientists who responded so brilliantly to Covid to create a Trump vaccine. Except that their research funding has been cut and vaccines are disfavored in some quarters.

The big point is that after Covid, AI and Trump, there is something else coming, something else we are not ready for. We don’t need to know exactly what that is, as if we could. We do have to train to be able to resiliently and effectively take on whatever it is. That is the ultimate readiness.

© 2025 Bob Schwartz

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