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AI and surveillance capitalism are undermining democracy
The only way data and AI can be used for good is with restrictive controls to prevent damage to democracy.
Whether you find this a horrifying development, an exciting application of AI, a flagrant violation of First Amendment rights, or even just a headscratcher, this incident captures the dynamics of how artificial intelligence, surveillance, and threats to democracy all come together. This situation presents a very difficult conundrum for those of us (myself included) who want to hold out hope that society can in fact use AI and data for good and believe that people just need the right guardrails in place to do so. The only way humans have been able to harness nuclear energy is with restrictive, well-designed controls, and while these might have limited some potential commercial opportunities, it has on balance helped keep the world safer and freer than without.
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