The AI tools that analyze data, generate content, and identify patterns heavily rely on mass surveillance, raising significant concerns about their control over our lives, stated the head of encrypted messaging app Signal, Meredith Whittaker, in an interview with AFP on Thursday.
Speaking at VivaTech in Paris, Europe's leading startup conference, Whittaker challenged the prevailing enthusiasm surrounding AI technologies. She highlighted that concerns about surveillance and AI are essentially "two framings of the same thing."
"The AI technologies we're talking about today are reliant on mass surveillance," Whittaker emphasized. "They require huge amounts of data that stem from the mass surveillance business model developed in the US during the 90s, which has now become the tech industry's economic engine."
Whittaker, a former Google employee who co-organized a staff walkout in 2018 over working conditions, founded the AI Now Institute at New York University in 2017. She now advocates for privacy and criticizes business models based on personal data extraction.
Power Imbalances and Data Dependency
AI systems not only consume vast amounts of data but also produce it, often with significant implications. Whittaker warned that even inaccurate AI outputs have the power to "classify, order, and direct our lives," creating concerns about the resulting power imbalances. She pointed out that a few "surveillance giants" control the industry and remain largely unaccountable.
"Most of us are not the users of AI," Whittaker said. "Most of us are subjected to its use by employers, law enforcement, governments, and other entities whose goals may not align with societal benefits."
Misaligned Goals and Environmental Impact
Whittaker also criticized AI firms for claiming to solve climate issues while simultaneously taking money from fossil fuel companies to find new resources. "Where is the revenue? It's not in saving the climate," she remarked. "It is in massive contracts with BP, with Exxon, and other large oil and gas companies."
Ultimately, Whittaker argued that Europeans should consider alternatives to competing with large American AI firms. She proposed the idea of reimagining technology to support more democratic, rights-preserving, and pluralistic societies.
More: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-ai-mass-surveillance-boss.html
