Corporate AI is a threat to freedomBy Richard K. SherwinEight years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that whoever masters artificial intelligence (AI) “will be the ruler of the world.” Since then, investments in the technology have skyrocketed, with US tech giants (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta) spending more than US$320 billion this year alone. There is a more immediate danger: Increasingly powerful, but opaque, AI algorithms are threatening freedom itself. The threat to freedom is twofold. Users of online services might think they are getting what they want — based, for example, on previous viewing choices or past purchases. Now, corporations seek to increase profits not only by marketing AI services, but also by deploying them to maximize the time users spend online, thereby increasing their exposure to targeted advertising.
