I always loved the 1983 movie WarGames. Maybe it was a secret crush on Ally Sheedy, or maybe it was the timing — those early days when computers were just starting to show what they might become. Everything felt new, uncertain, and full of possibility.

There’s a moment at the end where the supercomputer, after running every possible scenario for global nuclear war, comes to a conclusion that still feels relevant today:

“The only winning move is not to play.”

I’ve been thinking about that line as people talk about AI “curing” disease, transforming medicine, and creating a future where algorithms out-think biology. The excitement is understandable. Technology can be remarkable.

But when it comes to chronic disease, I think AI — if it truly becomes as intelligent as people expect — will eventually reach the same conclusion the computer reached in WarGames:

You can’t win a war that shouldn’t be fought.

AI Will Run the Simulations — And the Pattern Will Be Unavoidable

Right now, chronic disease is treated like a battle.
We “fight” diabetes.
We “battle” obesity.
We look for “weapons” in the war against heart disease and metabolic collapse.

But these aren’t surprise attacks.
They’re predictable outcomes of the environment we’ve built.

Dr. Peter Attia describes the major threats to long-term health as the Four Horsemen:

• atherosclerotic disease

• cancer

• neurodegenerative disease

• metabolic disease

Four different outcomes — one common fuel source:
the modern food environment and lifestyle.

If AI is asked to “solve” chronic disease, it will test every molecule, every compound, every therapeutic sequence. It will run billions of scenarios.

And it will discover what we already know:

These diseases are not caused by a lack of advanced pharmaceuticals.
They’re caused by a mismatch between human biology and the environment we’ve created.

Ultra-processed food.
Seed oils.
Refined carbohydrates.
Sedentary lives.
Chronic stress.
Sleep loss.
Disconnected communities.
Depleted soil.
Industrial agriculture.
A food system designed for shelf life instead of human life.

AI will map the entire system and see the truth:
we’re medicating the consequences, not addressing the causes.

Medicine Has Become an Arms Race

When you stand back and look at our healthcare system — nearly 18% of the U.S. economy — it becomes clear that we’ve built an entire industry around treating symptoms of chronic disease.

It’s not a moral failure. It’s just the way the system evolved.

But trying to cure lifestyle-driven diseases with more drugs is like trying to prevent nuclear war by building bigger bombs.
More force doesn’t fix the underlying problem.

This is exactly the point in WarGames.
The computer endlessly escalates the simulation until it realizes there is no version where escalation leads to victory.

The only winning move is to step out of the game entirely.

And that’s the future I think AI will eventually point us toward.

The Peaceful Solution: Restore the Inputs

If AI truly becomes intelligent — not just computationally powerful — it will eventually come to a simple conclusion:

The peaceful solution is to stop making weapons to fight symptoms and return to the causes.

It will point us back to:

• real food

• real movement

• real sleep

• sunlight

• strong soil

• nutrient-dense protein and fat

• metabolic stability

• simple daily habits

• food raised on real pasture

• environments that match human biology

AI won’t “cure” chronic disease by escalating the pharmaceutical arms race.
It will cure it by revealing how unnecessary the arms race actually is.

Chronic disease improves when we repair the inputs, not the outputs.

Healthy soil → healthy plants
Healthy plants → healthy animals
Healthy animals → nutrient-dense food
Nutrient-dense food → healthier people
Healthier people → fewer chronic diseases

This isn’t nostalgia.
It’s biology.

The Real Frontier Isn’t High-Tech — It’s Foundational

Longevity science is fascinating, but the truth is simple:

Most of the gains in healthspan come from the basics:

• eating nutrient-dense food

• maintaining muscle

• walking every day

• strength training

• reducing inflammation

• avoiding ultra-processed food

• sleeping enough

• spending time outside

• staying connected to people

None of this is new.
But it’s what works.

And if AI develops true insight instead of brute force, it will eventually validate this:
the path to long-term health is not new technology — it’s returning to the biology that kept humans healthy for generations.

Final Thought

I’m not skeptical about AI. I’m skeptical about the idea that the solution to chronic disease is going to come from faster drug discovery instead of better food systems.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop playing the wrong game.

Real food.
Real soil.
Real habits.
Real health.

The computer in WarGames figured that out in 1983.
AI might figure it out for human health too.

FAQ SECTION

Q: What does the movie WarGames have to do with health?
The film’s conclusion — “the only winning move is not to play” — parallels how chronic disease cannot be solved by escalating medical interventions. We must address the causes, not the symptoms.

Q: Why do you believe AI will reach this conclusion?
AI will eventually model the root causes of chronic disease and see that most are driven by poor diet, environment, soil health, and lifestyle — not a shortage of advanced pharmaceuticals.

Q: What are Dr. Peter Attia’s Four Horsemen?
They are the major causes of morbidity and mortality: atherosclerotic disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic disease — all heavily influenced by lifestyle and food environment.

Q: What is the “peaceful solution” you refer to?
Instead of producing more medical “weapons,” the peaceful solution is fixing the inputs that cause disease: nutrient-dense food, soil health, movement, sleep, and reducing ultra-processed food.

Q: How does pasture-raised food fit into healthspan?
Pasture-raised food begins with healthy soil. That soil produces healthier plants, which nourish animals, which then nourish people. It supports long-term health and lowers chronic inflammation.