In the words of quantum computer creator Geordie Rose:

“…a complete and utter transformative change, the likes of which has never been seen before in the history of humanity making the Industrial Revolution look like a little tiny blip… there are entities that are not necessarily going to be aligned with what we want so this transition is really really massively important for our entire species to navigate … this [artificial intelligence] is happening in the background while people bicker about politics and what what's gonna be in the health care plan in the US and underneath it all is this rising tsunami.” [link to youtu.be (secure)]

If this guy is correct, then practically speaking, politics and culture are simply apologetics by those holding power.

Historically, politics and culture were completely dominated (almost predetermined) during the industrial revolution, because technology determined outcomes regardless of anyone’s politics or culture. In that sense, politics and culture were just apologetics for why societal outcomes were "true".