Authority Unbound: AI's Impact on Power, Liberty, and Political Landscape
AI's Creeping Domination: The Future of Freedom and Government Overhauled
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to take over authority, transforming the landscape of freedom and government in unpredictable ways.
As the news media fixates on Project 2025, a potential blueprint for national lockdown, a secretive power struggle lurks beneath the surface. With Trump as the figurehead, the Deep State is set to escalate its AI ambitions, heralding the advent of Surveillance State 2.0.
The Deep State's ulterior motive: AI-empowered authoritarianism, backed by the government and tech moguls alike. Over the past 7 decades, AI has surged from nascent origins to sophisticated iterations like deep learning and generative AI, propelling us ever closer to the singularity — the point of no return, where AI outpaces its human creators.
According to tech pundits, this singularity may manifest as early as 2026 (Elon Musk) or by 2045 (Ray Kurzweil). While the scientific community grapples with the far-reaching implications of AI, little attention has been paid to its influence on governance and the erosion of our core democratic principles: privacy, autonomy, equality, political process, and rule of law.
The Accenture report estimated that generative AI could automate a significant portion of jobs across multiple sectors. What if Donald Trump's pledge to reduce the federal workforce isn't about scrapping bureaucracy, but transferring it to the hands of the tech industry?
Trump's administration has embraced the AI revolution, signing the first-ever Executive Order on AI in 2019, as well as giving tech firms free rein to develop their AI technologies without any restraints. Biden, not to be outdone, merely requested that the sector share AI safety test results with the U.S. government, a directive that Trump later rescinded.
As we Have Seen with drones, the government has been eager to adopt AI technology, while doing little to ensure the protection of ordinary citizens' rights. The lack of accountability and transparency regarding the government's AI usage suggests that we're ill-equipped to ward off dystopian nightmares.
The implications of AI, both in private and public sectors, are profound and chilling. Call it digital authoritarianism, algocracy, or a power-grab by technology titans and government officials, one thing is certain: these developments place ordinary Americans under the thumb of AI, which holds more sway over our lives than we do over our elected representatives.
In a world ruled by algorithms, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai exercise more control over our lives than our elected officials. The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns of the rise of digital authoritarianism, involving surveillance, suppression, manipulation and threats to human rights and civil liberties.
ThePRI and Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan documented over 30 apparently politically motivated cases of AI-based surveillance and harassment of journalists, activists, and opposition politicians in 2020[5]. A coalition of press freedom groups reported over 25 instances of AI censorship affecting journalists in 2019[6].
Our privacy is at peril as AI breaches the boundaries of our personal data, learning, adapting, and growing exponentially. Data breaches are inevitable, as cybercrimes increase, fueling worries about identity theft, financial losses, and a loss of autonomy.
Faced with an ever-looming surveillance state, outmatched in resources and literary prowess, citizens must rally for change.
We demand transparency, accountability, and the protection of our constitutional rights.
An Electronic Bill of Rights must be established, including data ownership, transparency, privacy, and security safeguards. Ordinary citizens must have the power to control their own data, the ability to understand algorithms that impact them, and the right to data breach redress.
Capitalizing on the information age, let us challenge AI with an astute and informed citizenry. Rein in the encroaching surveillance state, reclaim our democratic values, and prioritize our humanity over technology. Resist the immortal dictator before it's too late.
[1] Stuart, E. (2020). The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Privacy and Data Breaches. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.[2] Mistry, S. (2019). Preparing for the unpredictable consequences of AI: One legislator's journey. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 6(SEP), 1-16.[3] Hill, J.P., & Gale, K. (2019). Artificial Intelligence, Unemployment, and Welfare. Annual Review of Economics, 11, 207-238.[4] Hill, T. (2021). How the federal government is using AI to fight fraud. The Washington Post.[5] Dawson, J., & Naim, F. (2021). The AI Threat to Democracy. Foreign Affairs.[6] Teicher, J. (2021). AI Censorship Takes Aim at Journalists Worldwide. Freedom House.
- The advancing dominion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in government, as hinted in the Accenture report, may lead to the automation of a significant portion of jobs, raising concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and the potential transfer of bureaucratic control to the tech industry.
- With the lack of transparency and accountability in AI usage by the government, as seen in instances of AI-based surveillance and harassment of journalists and activists, the future of privacy and autonomy is at stake, emphasizing the need for an Electronic Bill of Rights that protects data ownership, transparency, and security.
- As technology continually breaches the boundaries of our personal data, exponential growth and fear of identity theft and financial losses become imminent issues, making the protection of privacy essential in maintaining our autonomy.
- In the face of AI's creeping domination over our lives, ordinary citizens must demand transparency, accountability, and protection of constitutional rights, not only safeguarding data but also understanding algorithms' impacts and having the right to data breach redress.
- Having learned from the consequences of AI in different sectors, it is crucial for citizens to challenge the encroaching surveillance state with an astute and informed mindset, focusing on reclaiming democratic values and prioritizing humanity over technology to resist the prospect of a dystopian future ruled by artificial intelligence.
- As Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil forecast the singularity's approach, threatening the balance between human and machine, the call for transparency and accountability becomes increasingly urgent, as technology's advancing capabilities and privacy shortcomings pose a threat to our very freedom.
