Without continuous access to accurate, verifiable information for citizens, consumers and investors, there can be no democracy or free market capitalism. The advent of social media and the tidal waves of distorted information it generates has already poisoned public attitudes toward institutions of all descriptions.
Proliferation of AI presents yet another risk. In recent years, the technology problem most central to political debate within democracies is data collection from online activity and its impact on privacy. Powerful tech companies that have come to dominate our online lives can set rules and guidelines for the use of the products they create . But AI is a democratized technology.
It’s a powerful tool that individuals can use to create useful new things that break new scientific and artistic ground. It’s also a weapon that rogue political actors, criminals and terrorists can use to code malware, create bioweapons, manipulate markets and poison public opinion. It’s true that authorities can deploy AI to create more effective tools to police these crimes, but governments have never faced a threat this diffuse.