A couple of weeks ago, the Reform Party unveiled its vision document with considerable fanfare, declaring that the key to Estonia's future success lies in the effective deployment of artificial intelligence. The public response to this initiative, however, was silence — within a few days, it was largely forgotten.

No debate followed and even the leaders of rival parties commented on tax policy and the quality of Reform's governance, while carefully sidestepping the topic of artificial intelligence. So what went wrong for the "Squirrel Party"? Why did no one engage?

Put metaphorically, the party is selling us a clouded vision of the future, one in which even the outlines are barely discernible, let alone a clear picture. In other words, developments related to artificial intelligence remain so intangible and abstract for the public that it is not yet possible to speak of pro-and-con arguments or the political mobilization of voters. And without reaction, there is no debate, nor any emotion.

Economists have indeed made various forecasts about how artificial intelligence might begin to affect our economy and labor market. Yet those same analyses show that the real impact on the broader economy, outside the IT sector, remains surprisingly modest for now.

As a result, people cannot yet imagine what exactly is going to happen. Which sectors of the economy will flourish? Where will jobs disappear? Where will the nature of work change beyond recognition? How will productivity gains driven by artificial intelligence actually translate into economic growth?

What has now been put forward stands in stark contrast to the Reform Party's vision from 20 years ago — joining the five wealthiest countries in Europe. Back then, people could imagine what life in such a country would look like; the dream was tangible and vivid. But what will Estonia look like in ten years if it is at the forefront of artificial intelligence adoption? Can you clearly picture it? I, for one, cannot.

Reform's vision from a couple of decades ago also included a clear program for reaching the ranks of Europe's five wealthiest countries — lower taxes and a favorable business environment. In contrast, its current artificial intelligence vision document contains almost no concrete steps: what should the state do, what should the private sector do, what should citizens do for Estonia to be among the winners in applying artificial intelligence and at the global forefront ten years from now?

This vagueness and abstraction create another problem: it cannot serve as a basis for political confrontation or for rallying voters to the barricades, so to speak. Even [EKRE leader] Martin Helme did not rise to argue that Reform is endangering the survival of the Estonian state and culture by embracing unknown technologies or that artificial intelligence is inherently liberal-leaning...

Nor did the Social Democrats speak up, even though they might have argued that Estonia should not make its future dependent on the whims and profit motives of American tech giants and that the state's primary concern should be preserving as many jobs as possible in the age of artificial intelligence. Everyone remained silent, knowing their voters would simply shrug because no one really knows what will happen or how.

In conclusion, public expectations of the "Squirrel Party" were quite different. People expected Reform to provide concrete answers on tax policy, how it will ensure a balanced budget and how it plans to revive sluggish economic growth. They expected a clear signal on whether the party would return to its market-liberal roots or continue on its current path. The vision paper did not provide a clear answer.

What is happening also serves as a litmus test of Reform's political instincts. Did they notice the awkward and bewildered silence that followed the release of their grand manifesto or will they continue in the same vein? If the latter, we will likely see an election platform filled with ambitious artificial intelligence promises that fail to resonate with voters and pose no threat to competitors. Electoral failure would then be all but guaranteed.

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