America's greatest existential threat is not external aggression—it is internal division. Democracy requires social cohesion and shared reality, both threatened by artificial intelligence. AI shatters common ground through individualized realities—whether deliberately weaponized by adversaries or amplified by profit-seeking algorithms.

This fragmentation cripples cooperation, undermines governance, and destabilizes democracy. Empirical evidence confirms this pattern: polarization metrics worsen directly with AI-driven content consumption. Critics argue technological shifts have always prompted adaptation, not collapse. Yet AI differs fundamentally from past information revolutions in its personalization capacity and algorithmic opacity.

Traditional governance cannot counter this threat alone. Proven solutions exist in decentralized community moderation systems already functioning at scale on platforms like Wikipedia and X. These systems, combined with mandatory content labeling and widespread digital literacy, create an immune response to misinformation.

The American experiment has always been fragile. In the age of AI, its survival demands immediate action from government, technology companies, and citizens. This is not speculative futurism. It is today's clear and present danger.