I created this cartoon about the profound ugliness of the AI race. Tech leaders are rushing to create AI and are unleashing it upon the world far too quickly with far too few guardrails and far too little responsibility.
In the early days of the internet, tech leaders urged for the internet to be lightly regulated (and often not regulated at all). They promised that the internet would bring freedom and democracy; it would liberate us from the tyranny of big powerful organizations; it would help the little guys. Although the internet has brought about some wonderful things, it has also undermined all these goals and has contributed to greater authoritarianism, extremism, manipulation, and control.
Now, it’s déjà vu all over again. Tech leaders are making great promises with AI. All diseases will be cured, we won’t have to work anymore, and we all will be paid a fat check to lounge on the beach and get fat. But it’s clear that these promises are bogus. AI has the potential to be wonderful, but unfortunately, so far, it’s launch has been harmful and disruptive.
What we saw with the internet is now playing out again, the stakes even higher. Tech leaders are making decisions in their own interests to the detriment of everyone else.
I don’t think AI and tech are wrongheaded; but the wrong people are creating it.
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Daniel J. Solove is the Bernard Professor of Intellectual Property and Technology Law at the George Washington University Law School. He is the founder of TeachPrivacy, a company that provides workforce privacy, cybersecurity security, and AI training to companies and organizations around the world. He is the author of 10+ books and 100+ articles.
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