Vicar Sayeedi's Blog, page 7
March 15, 2021
Will AI Favor Authoritarianism or Democracy?
Will AI Favor Authoritarianism or Democracy?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 15, 2021
The word ‘democracy’ comes from two Greek words: people (demos) and rule (kratos). Humankind’s experimentation with the notion of democracy as a form of governance, an ideology based on the inclusiveness and representation of citizens in their own welfare was first realized in the city-state of Athens about 500 BCE, or 2500 years ago. It was a noble effort rooted in the Greek idea of Humanism, which recognized the primacy of human feelings and agency above those of the supernatural. But this experiment involved only a small segment of the society: no women, slaves or children were included and so only about 10% of the population took part. A similar effort was made around the same time in the Roman Republic, but this was significantly biased in favor of the society’s elites. Both initiatives were eventually eclipsed by a return to Authoritarian rule, a system of governance that has been in place since the beginning of civilization, approximately 10,000 BCE.
Sustainable Participatory Democracy on a large scale was only really possible once three important conditions were fulfilled in society. The first condition was the recognition of equality, the idea that all men are created equal. From the US Declaration of Independence we have the passage, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The second condition was the realization of mass communication with and across society and the third was the ability of the society to be educated to the point where they could read and understand the issues facing them to a sufficient degree. In other words, the electorate would need to be literate. Once these three conditions were fulfilled, representative governance could be undertaken on a large scale. Nevertheless, it would eventually take more than two millennia following those first experiments in Athens and Rome before Democracy could take hold in the New World.
It was only in the late 18th or early 19th century that all three of these conditions were met in America and soon after in Europe. Following the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the Western World was prepared for a new form of governance. With the arrival of the Gutenberg Printing Press in towns and cities across the Western World, people were abandoning the irrational superstitions of the Dark Ages and becoming more logical in their thinking. They were tired of tyrannical rule and the notion of the Divine Right of Kings to oppress them. The people had grown weary of Clerics – Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and Popes – and the irrational explanations they offered for all that troubled the ordinary lives of the peasantry, and the lack of effective solutions the Clergy could offer. The society was ready for a new, modern way forward and this eventually gave rise to Liberal Democracy.
But today, Democracy is being undermined by a strategic attack on these very same critical underlying conditions that make participatory government possible. Although information is abundant and freely available unlike any previous time in history, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many citizens to discern between objective facts and reality and what has come to be known as fake news. The elderly and those with limited education are particularly vulnerable to this problem as they find themselves repeatedly taken in by conspiracy theories and straw man arguments constructed by demagogues and those that pine for the return of Authoritarianism and Fascism. These vulnerable citizens then go on to perpetuate these falsehoods widely across social media and propagate a crisis of trust. We are now living in an age in which objective truths are no longer discernible within the electorate. If a person believes certain things are true, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, then they hold that it is their right to do so. If they believe an election has been stolen despite indisputable contradictory evidence, they will do so anyway.
We are simultaneously experiencing a decline in investment in education and consequently, polling data tells us that increasing numbers within society have a very poor understanding of how a participatory democracy works. This is further exacerbated by the increasing complexity of issues that have a direct impact on people’s lives. These issues include climate change, ecological collapse due to unsustainable consumption and lifestyles, advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence that will likely displace hundreds of millions of jobs around the world in the current decade and so many more.
There are unique times in American history when the US government has been able to respond to the society's need for change very quickly. Important recent examples include The New Deal achieved during FDR’s Presidency in the wake of the Great Depression and The Great Society engineered by the LBJ Administration in the 1960’s. But both FDR and LBJ held a 66% majority in both chambers of Congress so they were able to move quickly, but in normal circumstances, America is, by design, deliberately difficult to govern and very slow moving. This can be extremely frustrating to an impatient electorate clamoring for change but it also has very significant advantages.
The slow moving bureaucracy that is the US government is virtually impossible to overpower in any attempted Coup d’état. We have a separation of powers between the three branches of the Federal government, the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches. Within the Executive branch we have dozens of federal agencies, each of which holds some measure of power allocated within the Administration. We have further separation of powers between Federal and State government and further still between State, County, City, Towns and Villages.
During the middle of the 20th Century and the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, it was very difficult for the Communists to engineer and manage a centrally planned economy and to centrally administer state control and surveillance of the society. But with the awesome power of Artificial Intelligence and its ability to enable State Surveillance of every citizen during every moment of every day, China is demonstrating that 21st Century Authoritarianism is far more effective and manageable than its 20th Century predecessor. The notion of Humanism or the belief that all men are created equal is not widely accepted in these Authoritarian societies. Books, film, literature and news media of all modalities are state-controlled and AI is an excellent tool to monitor and regulate them and also to monitor and regulate how the people are behaving. This makes Authoritarianism far more effective than it has ever been in human history.
But the problem for Authoritarian States in the 21st Century is that even though AI and other 4th Industrial Revolution tools make them so effective in their ability to centrally administer the economy and control society, the very same tools can be used to great effect to bring them down and replace them. The hallmark of Authoritarianism has always been the consolidation of power in a few hands and a few key organizations and so AI can very effectively be turned around to break the grip of Authoritarian regimes on these few levers of consolidated power. At the same time, the highly decentralized nature of participatory, representative democracies helps them maintain a near impenetrable defense against AI when engaged in an attempted Coup d’état. Time will tell.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Episode 46 - https://youtu.be/atMSV1WAFkg
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
Episode 47 - https://youtu.be/kz7-EDmlGXc
Will AI Favor Authoritarianism or Democracy?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 15, 2021
The word ‘democracy’ comes from two Greek words: people (demos) and rule (kratos). Humankind’s experimentation with the notion of democracy as a form of governance, an ideology based on the inclusiveness and representation of citizens in their own welfare was first realized in the city-state of Athens about 500 BCE, or 2500 years ago. It was a noble effort rooted in the Greek idea of Humanism, which recognized the primacy of human feelings and agency above those of the supernatural. But this experiment involved only a small segment of the society: no women, slaves or children were included and so only about 10% of the population took part. A similar effort was made around the same time in the Roman Republic, but this was significantly biased in favor of the society’s elites. Both initiatives were eventually eclipsed by a return to Authoritarian rule, a system of governance that has been in place since the beginning of civilization, approximately 10,000 BCE.
Sustainable Participatory Democracy on a large scale was only really possible once three important conditions were fulfilled in society. The first condition was the recognition of equality, the idea that all men are created equal. From the US Declaration of Independence we have the passage, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The second condition was the realization of mass communication with and across society and the third was the ability of the society to be educated to the point where they could read and understand the issues facing them to a sufficient degree. In other words, the electorate would need to be literate. Once these three conditions were fulfilled, representative governance could be undertaken on a large scale. Nevertheless, it would eventually take more than two millennia following those first experiments in Athens and Rome before Democracy could take hold in the New World.
It was only in the late 18th or early 19th century that all three of these conditions were met in America and soon after in Europe. Following the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the Western World was prepared for a new form of governance. With the arrival of the Gutenberg Printing Press in towns and cities across the Western World, people were abandoning the irrational superstitions of the Dark Ages and becoming more logical in their thinking. They were tired of tyrannical rule and the notion of the Divine Right of Kings to oppress them. The people had grown weary of Clerics – Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and Popes – and the irrational explanations they offered for all that troubled the ordinary lives of the peasantry, and the lack of effective solutions the Clergy could offer. The society was ready for a new, modern way forward and this eventually gave rise to Liberal Democracy.
But today, Democracy is being undermined by a strategic attack on these very same critical underlying conditions that make participatory government possible. Although information is abundant and freely available unlike any previous time in history, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many citizens to discern between objective facts and reality and what has come to be known as fake news. The elderly and those with limited education are particularly vulnerable to this problem as they find themselves repeatedly taken in by conspiracy theories and straw man arguments constructed by demagogues and those that pine for the return of Authoritarianism and Fascism. These vulnerable citizens then go on to perpetuate these falsehoods widely across social media and propagate a crisis of trust. We are now living in an age in which objective truths are no longer discernible within the electorate. If a person believes certain things are true, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, then they hold that it is their right to do so. If they believe an election has been stolen despite indisputable contradictory evidence, they will do so anyway.
We are simultaneously experiencing a decline in investment in education and consequently, polling data tells us that increasing numbers within society have a very poor understanding of how a participatory democracy works. This is further exacerbated by the increasing complexity of issues that have a direct impact on people’s lives. These issues include climate change, ecological collapse due to unsustainable consumption and lifestyles, advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence that will likely displace hundreds of millions of jobs around the world in the current decade and so many more.
There are unique times in American history when the US government has been able to respond to the society's need for change very quickly. Important recent examples include The New Deal achieved during FDR’s Presidency in the wake of the Great Depression and The Great Society engineered by the LBJ Administration in the 1960’s. But both FDR and LBJ held a 66% majority in both chambers of Congress so they were able to move quickly, but in normal circumstances, America is, by design, deliberately difficult to govern and very slow moving. This can be extremely frustrating to an impatient electorate clamoring for change but it also has very significant advantages.
The slow moving bureaucracy that is the US government is virtually impossible to overpower in any attempted Coup d’état. We have a separation of powers between the three branches of the Federal government, the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches. Within the Executive branch we have dozens of federal agencies, each of which holds some measure of power allocated within the Administration. We have further separation of powers between Federal and State government and further still between State, County, City, Towns and Villages.
During the middle of the 20th Century and the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, it was very difficult for the Communists to engineer and manage a centrally planned economy and to centrally administer state control and surveillance of the society. But with the awesome power of Artificial Intelligence and its ability to enable State Surveillance of every citizen during every moment of every day, China is demonstrating that 21st Century Authoritarianism is far more effective and manageable than its 20th Century predecessor. The notion of Humanism or the belief that all men are created equal is not widely accepted in these Authoritarian societies. Books, film, literature and news media of all modalities are state-controlled and AI is an excellent tool to monitor and regulate them and also to monitor and regulate how the people are behaving. This makes Authoritarianism far more effective than it has ever been in human history.
But the problem for Authoritarian States in the 21st Century is that even though AI and other 4th Industrial Revolution tools make them so effective in their ability to centrally administer the economy and control society, the very same tools can be used to great effect to bring them down and replace them. The hallmark of Authoritarianism has always been the consolidation of power in a few hands and a few key organizations and so AI can very effectively be turned around to break the grip of Authoritarian regimes on these few levers of consolidated power. At the same time, the highly decentralized nature of participatory, representative democracies helps them maintain a near impenetrable defense against AI when engaged in an attempted Coup d’état. Time will tell.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Episode 46 - https://youtu.be/atMSV1WAFkg
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
Episode 47 - https://youtu.be/kz7-EDmlGXc
Will AI Favor Authoritarianism or Democracy?
March 12, 2021
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 12, 2021
The issue of xenophobia within society is most often discussed in a sociopolitical context, often without a holistic understanding of its real roots. The problem continues to be vexing in that people have tried to find solutions for millennia but with largely limited success. There is much that can and needs to be done to protect society from those with xenophobic tendencies as well as from those with generally dangerous personality traits or other antisocial biases. Hopefully though, once we consider xenophobia’s scientific basis – its deep roots in Evolutionary Psychology – we may find some solutions lie in the domain of technology.
Robin Dunbar, the Oxford Anthropologist and Evolutionary Psychologist, believes that homo sapiens can maintain an intimate network of just five people. This is their innermost circle. A second concentric circle can be drawn around this innermost circle where we can maintain relationships with about fifteen close friends. A third concentric circle can be drawn around this one with about fifty friends and a fourth concentric circle can be drawn around this one representing about 150 meaningful contacts. A fifth concentric circle around this one represents about 500 acquaintances and a sixth and final concentric circle around this one represents about 1500 people that we recognize but don’t really know. Obviously, these numbers amount to statistical rounding errors when we consider the population of the world. In fact, anyone beyond our circle of 150 meaningful contacts will likely fall outside our zone of personal safety and trust. This is what we might in tribal terms label as ‘our clan’.
Now let’s consider the issue of xenophobia which is so firmly rooted in human psychology. When examined from the perspective of Evolutionary Psychology, xenophobia has been an important component of mammalian survival for nearly 200 million years. For example, if there was a rustling sound in the trees in a nearby forest and our ancestors were not sufficiently alarmed to take cover or to assume a meaningfully defensive posture, they might soon find themselves face to face with a dangerous foe, perhaps a wild beast who saw them as a source of food. Or perhaps another hominin or another homo sapiens from a rival band or tribe might have liked to steal food or valuable hunting tools from one of our ancestors?
Without this trait of xenophobia embedded in our psychology, our ancient ancestors would soon have fallen victim in one of these dangerous situations and so we would not be here today. Alternatively, those that did have this trait were more likely to survive and therefore more likely to pass on this very important attribute. This process has repeated itself for tens of millions of years and so xenophobia has become deeply rooted in our psychology within our Limbic System or Mammalian brain. In fact, the phenomenon of xenophobia has long been observed in other primates, as well, including the ones genetically closest to us, the bonobo chimpanzee with whom we share about 96% of our DNA.
For most of homo sapiens existence, we have lived in hunter-gatherer communities organized in small bands. We kept to ourselves while only periodically interacting with other bands that we knew. But 13,000 years BCE and following the end of the last Ice Age, we began to find large fields of staples such as barley and wheat growing in abundance along the Nile River valley in Egypt and the Euphrates and Tigris River valleys in Mesopotamia. This gradual change in our environment by about 10,000 BCE caused us to reconsider our way of life – rather than roaming nomadically in search of flora and fauna, our primary concern now was to harvest and protect this large source of food and learn how we could repeat the process the next season and the one after that.
This behavioral change caused us to begin forming communities and villages and eventually towns and cities with steadily increasing numbers of people. For the first time, humankind was interacting with so many groups of individuals whom they didn’t know, a phenomenon that was contradictory to our nature and psychology that had been adapted and evolved over millennia. Now, xenophobia had become a serious problem and we needed to find ways to contain it. It was very challenging and this new reality gave rise to immense violence.
One important mechanism to contain xenophobia and other destructive personality traits was the development of culture, religion and tradition along with legal codes sanctioned by deities to hold those who caused problems to account. These social mechanisms enabled larger numbers of people to live and work together in communities in what could best be described as a tenuous peace. But even in modern times we continue to see xenophobia persist and the reactions are often reprehensible and extraordinarily violent.
We now know that homo sapiens, like all other species, are shaped by Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Psychology. But we are distinct from all other species in that our behavior can further be shaped by culture and religion. We also know that modern humans respond to arts, film, literature and reason in adapting their behavior, yet despite all of these mechanisms to help contain and eradicate xenophobia or destructive personality traits from domestic and public life, we still struggle to an unacceptable degree.
But in the very near future, we may be able to use Artificial Intelligence enabled surveillance to help. AI Agents can process millions of characteristics about humans – both genetic data such as our entire genome as well as data gathered from human behavior, facial micro-expressions and even subcutaneous or neurological monitoring – to accurately determine a person’s propensity for dangerous xenophobic behavior or other destructive personality traits. It may soon become possible to use AI to alert officials of these dangerous traits for virtually every single human in our society and also to intervene with numerous protocols that can protect the society as a whole.
Of course there is tremendous risk that these tools of surveillance may fall into the wrong hands and be misused by those with nefarious intent, but this is the reality of virtually every tool humankind has every put forth, beginning with fire and stone. The difference this time though, is that the power of AI is nothing like humankind has ever developed. It is truly an existential threat as it increases in power along with its propensity for abuse.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Episode 46 - https://youtu.be/atMSV1WAFkg
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 12, 2021
The issue of xenophobia within society is most often discussed in a sociopolitical context, often without a holistic understanding of its real roots. The problem continues to be vexing in that people have tried to find solutions for millennia but with largely limited success. There is much that can and needs to be done to protect society from those with xenophobic tendencies as well as from those with generally dangerous personality traits or other antisocial biases. Hopefully though, once we consider xenophobia’s scientific basis – its deep roots in Evolutionary Psychology – we may find some solutions lie in the domain of technology.
Robin Dunbar, the Oxford Anthropologist and Evolutionary Psychologist, believes that homo sapiens can maintain an intimate network of just five people. This is their innermost circle. A second concentric circle can be drawn around this innermost circle where we can maintain relationships with about fifteen close friends. A third concentric circle can be drawn around this one with about fifty friends and a fourth concentric circle can be drawn around this one representing about 150 meaningful contacts. A fifth concentric circle around this one represents about 500 acquaintances and a sixth and final concentric circle around this one represents about 1500 people that we recognize but don’t really know. Obviously, these numbers amount to statistical rounding errors when we consider the population of the world. In fact, anyone beyond our circle of 150 meaningful contacts will likely fall outside our zone of personal safety and trust. This is what we might in tribal terms label as ‘our clan’.
Now let’s consider the issue of xenophobia which is so firmly rooted in human psychology. When examined from the perspective of Evolutionary Psychology, xenophobia has been an important component of mammalian survival for nearly 200 million years. For example, if there was a rustling sound in the trees in a nearby forest and our ancestors were not sufficiently alarmed to take cover or to assume a meaningfully defensive posture, they might soon find themselves face to face with a dangerous foe, perhaps a wild beast who saw them as a source of food. Or perhaps another hominin or another homo sapiens from a rival band or tribe might have liked to steal food or valuable hunting tools from one of our ancestors?
Without this trait of xenophobia embedded in our psychology, our ancient ancestors would soon have fallen victim in one of these dangerous situations and so we would not be here today. Alternatively, those that did have this trait were more likely to survive and therefore more likely to pass on this very important attribute. This process has repeated itself for tens of millions of years and so xenophobia has become deeply rooted in our psychology within our Limbic System or Mammalian brain. In fact, the phenomenon of xenophobia has long been observed in other primates, as well, including the ones genetically closest to us, the bonobo chimpanzee with whom we share about 96% of our DNA.
For most of homo sapiens existence, we have lived in hunter-gatherer communities organized in small bands. We kept to ourselves while only periodically interacting with other bands that we knew. But 13,000 years BCE and following the end of the last Ice Age, we began to find large fields of staples such as barley and wheat growing in abundance along the Nile River valley in Egypt and the Euphrates and Tigris River valleys in Mesopotamia. This gradual change in our environment by about 10,000 BCE caused us to reconsider our way of life – rather than roaming nomadically in search of flora and fauna, our primary concern now was to harvest and protect this large source of food and learn how we could repeat the process the next season and the one after that.
This behavioral change caused us to begin forming communities and villages and eventually towns and cities with steadily increasing numbers of people. For the first time, humankind was interacting with so many groups of individuals whom they didn’t know, a phenomenon that was contradictory to our nature and psychology that had been adapted and evolved over millennia. Now, xenophobia had become a serious problem and we needed to find ways to contain it. It was very challenging and this new reality gave rise to immense violence.
One important mechanism to contain xenophobia and other destructive personality traits was the development of culture, religion and tradition along with legal codes sanctioned by deities to hold those who caused problems to account. These social mechanisms enabled larger numbers of people to live and work together in communities in what could best be described as a tenuous peace. But even in modern times we continue to see xenophobia persist and the reactions are often reprehensible and extraordinarily violent.
We now know that homo sapiens, like all other species, are shaped by Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Psychology. But we are distinct from all other species in that our behavior can further be shaped by culture and religion. We also know that modern humans respond to arts, film, literature and reason in adapting their behavior, yet despite all of these mechanisms to help contain and eradicate xenophobia or destructive personality traits from domestic and public life, we still struggle to an unacceptable degree.
But in the very near future, we may be able to use Artificial Intelligence enabled surveillance to help. AI Agents can process millions of characteristics about humans – both genetic data such as our entire genome as well as data gathered from human behavior, facial micro-expressions and even subcutaneous or neurological monitoring – to accurately determine a person’s propensity for dangerous xenophobic behavior or other destructive personality traits. It may soon become possible to use AI to alert officials of these dangerous traits for virtually every single human in our society and also to intervene with numerous protocols that can protect the society as a whole.
Of course there is tremendous risk that these tools of surveillance may fall into the wrong hands and be misused by those with nefarious intent, but this is the reality of virtually every tool humankind has every put forth, beginning with fire and stone. The difference this time though, is that the power of AI is nothing like humankind has ever developed. It is truly an existential threat as it increases in power along with its propensity for abuse.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Episode 46 - https://youtu.be/atMSV1WAFkg
AI Enabled Surveillance | An Important Tool to Contain Dangerous Personality Traits?
March 6, 2021
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 6, 2021
For many years, writers have imagined a world in which embodied Artificial Intelligence Agents have become normalized within society, in some cases to the point where their presence is ubiquitous. The 2019 novel, “Machines Like Us” by the celebrated English author Ian McEwan and the most recent entry, “Klara and the Sun” by the 2017 Nobel Literature Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro are two prominent examples. My 2019 book, “The Génome Affair” is another entry in this category of what some may call Speculative Fiction.
Speculative Fiction in literature is an examination of the dramatic shift in individual and societal attitudes, behaviors, culture, feelings and thoughts as the political and social climate adapts to the often revolutionary realities conceived in the mind of the writer. Although speculative writing is an interesting approach to examining the future of society, it’s not without its challenges. In the case of AI, it’s quite difficult for humans to speculate since AI’s degree of intelligence cannot be captured on the same graph as the one that represents human intelligence. The difference between Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence will likely be measured in orders of magnitude if it’s measureable at all.
Imagine consulting an ant on what the outlook might be for humans at the beginning of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. Since the intelligence of the ant is relatively so much lower than that of humankind, it’s simply not possible for the ant to answer the question. Similarly, we can try to imagine what a world with Artificial Intelligence Agents having super intelligence relative to humankind might be like but we are likely to get it very wrong. Humankind can only conceive a world in which we can shape realities within our own sphere of understanding and hence imagination. The Theory of Mind does not grant us the insight into what an entity such as Super AI might do or feel since we are not privy to the same degree of knowledge, processing speed or retention as these Agents are.
Even today, Narrow Artificial Intelligence Agents can process information many orders of magnitude faster than humans, they can process all information available and they can also remember and instantaneously access everything they have ever learned. This gives AI an intellectual platform that humankind is very unlikely to ever be able to match or even contemplate. AI has the potential to read the entire contents of the Internet along with all 150 million volumes of books and codex presently held in the United States Library of Congress. AI can digest all of this information and convert it into knowledge that will subsequently inform their ethical framework, their ability to adjudicate and their ability to plan strategically.
In summary, our understanding of human emotions, sentience and Theory of Mind may simply not apply to Artificial General or Super Intelligent Agents. This reality makes it very important that humankind work together in the scientific and technological community as well as at the international regulatory level to ensure we remain in control of the development of AI. This will likely prove very challenging to achieve but nevertheless, we must try. Otherwise, we may find ourselves immersed within one or more of the dystopian scenarios AI thought leaders, distinguished public intellectuals and synthesists across multiple disciplines have warned us about.
Already today, Narrow AI Agents are being deployed in applications that exceed human intellectual capacity. For example, a loan processing facility in China can approve or reject loan applications submitted via mobile phone, evaluate the credit worthiness of a prospective borrower by examining 500,000 parameters and respond with an approval or denial within eight seconds. Once the Specialized AI has examined these parameters and made its decision, both the applicant and bank will abide by it. In some Eastern European countries, Narrow AI Agents are being used to adjudicate in many minor legal matters including moving or parking violations. No human administration or adjudication is involved and the driver must simply comply or risk higher fines or further legal complications.
The world we are so familiar with and the relationship we have long held between dignity and work is fast changing, as well. With AI’s ability to perform a growing number of human functions more cost effectively, efficiently and rapidly, the justification to employ human labor for tasks ranging from the mundane to the sophisticated will rapidly wane and humankind will have more and more free time. Unless we plan for these dramatic socioeconomic shifts, this new reality will be a serious issue in maintaining social stability across the world as growing numbers of people compete for increasingly scarce opportunities to earn a living. We are not trending towards a new reality in which citizens will find themselves enslaved or indentured by colonizing powers as occurred in the wake of the 1st Industrial Revolution, but rather a world in which human labor will increasingly become unnecessary or more likely useless.
Our governments tend to be very reactive; we are able to mobilize very quickly to address clear and present dangers such as the Coronavirus Pandemic. Less than one month after detecting the virus in Wuhan, China, scientists had sequenced its genome and shared the findings within the scientific community across the globe. Within one year, despite the historical reality that vaccine development can take upwards of ten years, pharmaceutical companies had developed five safe and effective vaccines. Today, millions of people around the world have been vaccinated.
But at the same time, our governments are also very poor at addressing long term threats such as those posed by climate change and ecological collapse. These challenges are due to unsustainable lifestyles and industrial practices including deforestation, energy generated from fossil fuels, livestock farming, mining and water wastage. But most public intellectuals believe that the threat posed by 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies is unlike anything humankind has previously experienced and as such it is critical that these be considered alongside the threats mentioned above. AI and Biotechnology must be considered as equivalent to the threats posed by climate change and ecological collapse and with the same degree of urgency otherwise it will be impossible to maintain domestic and international peace and security.
It has been 2,500 years since the birth of democracy in the city state of Athens and it has been nearly 250 years since the birth of America’s modern democracy. But even after the passage of so much time and the demonstration of what can be achieved under democratic rule, just 25% of the world’s countries have democratic systems of government; about fifty countries. Around the globe, Authoritarian regimes are strengthening their hand and trampling on human rights while democratic regimes are waning in relevance. The wilting confidence of citizens living under these democracies is palpable as their lives become increasingly difficult and uncertain. As a result they are regressing to old but familiar traditions that have failed humanity for centuries but that are still comforting in these times of confusion and great upheaval. It is an enormous challenge that leaders and thinkers within society must holistically and strategically confront, otherwise the society will fall back to a bleak future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
Vicar Sayeedi
March 6, 2021
For many years, writers have imagined a world in which embodied Artificial Intelligence Agents have become normalized within society, in some cases to the point where their presence is ubiquitous. The 2019 novel, “Machines Like Us” by the celebrated English author Ian McEwan and the most recent entry, “Klara and the Sun” by the 2017 Nobel Literature Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro are two prominent examples. My 2019 book, “The Génome Affair” is another entry in this category of what some may call Speculative Fiction.
Speculative Fiction in literature is an examination of the dramatic shift in individual and societal attitudes, behaviors, culture, feelings and thoughts as the political and social climate adapts to the often revolutionary realities conceived in the mind of the writer. Although speculative writing is an interesting approach to examining the future of society, it’s not without its challenges. In the case of AI, it’s quite difficult for humans to speculate since AI’s degree of intelligence cannot be captured on the same graph as the one that represents human intelligence. The difference between Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence will likely be measured in orders of magnitude if it’s measureable at all.
Imagine consulting an ant on what the outlook might be for humans at the beginning of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. Since the intelligence of the ant is relatively so much lower than that of humankind, it’s simply not possible for the ant to answer the question. Similarly, we can try to imagine what a world with Artificial Intelligence Agents having super intelligence relative to humankind might be like but we are likely to get it very wrong. Humankind can only conceive a world in which we can shape realities within our own sphere of understanding and hence imagination. The Theory of Mind does not grant us the insight into what an entity such as Super AI might do or feel since we are not privy to the same degree of knowledge, processing speed or retention as these Agents are.
Even today, Narrow Artificial Intelligence Agents can process information many orders of magnitude faster than humans, they can process all information available and they can also remember and instantaneously access everything they have ever learned. This gives AI an intellectual platform that humankind is very unlikely to ever be able to match or even contemplate. AI has the potential to read the entire contents of the Internet along with all 150 million volumes of books and codex presently held in the United States Library of Congress. AI can digest all of this information and convert it into knowledge that will subsequently inform their ethical framework, their ability to adjudicate and their ability to plan strategically.
In summary, our understanding of human emotions, sentience and Theory of Mind may simply not apply to Artificial General or Super Intelligent Agents. This reality makes it very important that humankind work together in the scientific and technological community as well as at the international regulatory level to ensure we remain in control of the development of AI. This will likely prove very challenging to achieve but nevertheless, we must try. Otherwise, we may find ourselves immersed within one or more of the dystopian scenarios AI thought leaders, distinguished public intellectuals and synthesists across multiple disciplines have warned us about.
Already today, Narrow AI Agents are being deployed in applications that exceed human intellectual capacity. For example, a loan processing facility in China can approve or reject loan applications submitted via mobile phone, evaluate the credit worthiness of a prospective borrower by examining 500,000 parameters and respond with an approval or denial within eight seconds. Once the Specialized AI has examined these parameters and made its decision, both the applicant and bank will abide by it. In some Eastern European countries, Narrow AI Agents are being used to adjudicate in many minor legal matters including moving or parking violations. No human administration or adjudication is involved and the driver must simply comply or risk higher fines or further legal complications.
The world we are so familiar with and the relationship we have long held between dignity and work is fast changing, as well. With AI’s ability to perform a growing number of human functions more cost effectively, efficiently and rapidly, the justification to employ human labor for tasks ranging from the mundane to the sophisticated will rapidly wane and humankind will have more and more free time. Unless we plan for these dramatic socioeconomic shifts, this new reality will be a serious issue in maintaining social stability across the world as growing numbers of people compete for increasingly scarce opportunities to earn a living. We are not trending towards a new reality in which citizens will find themselves enslaved or indentured by colonizing powers as occurred in the wake of the 1st Industrial Revolution, but rather a world in which human labor will increasingly become unnecessary or more likely useless.
Our governments tend to be very reactive; we are able to mobilize very quickly to address clear and present dangers such as the Coronavirus Pandemic. Less than one month after detecting the virus in Wuhan, China, scientists had sequenced its genome and shared the findings within the scientific community across the globe. Within one year, despite the historical reality that vaccine development can take upwards of ten years, pharmaceutical companies had developed five safe and effective vaccines. Today, millions of people around the world have been vaccinated.
But at the same time, our governments are also very poor at addressing long term threats such as those posed by climate change and ecological collapse. These challenges are due to unsustainable lifestyles and industrial practices including deforestation, energy generated from fossil fuels, livestock farming, mining and water wastage. But most public intellectuals believe that the threat posed by 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies is unlike anything humankind has previously experienced and as such it is critical that these be considered alongside the threats mentioned above. AI and Biotechnology must be considered as equivalent to the threats posed by climate change and ecological collapse and with the same degree of urgency otherwise it will be impossible to maintain domestic and international peace and security.
It has been 2,500 years since the birth of democracy in the city state of Athens and it has been nearly 250 years since the birth of America’s modern democracy. But even after the passage of so much time and the demonstration of what can be achieved under democratic rule, just 25% of the world’s countries have democratic systems of government; about fifty countries. Around the globe, Authoritarian regimes are strengthening their hand and trampling on human rights while democratic regimes are waning in relevance. The wilting confidence of citizens living under these democracies is palpable as their lives become increasingly difficult and uncertain. As a result they are regressing to old but familiar traditions that have failed humanity for centuries but that are still comforting in these times of confusion and great upheaval. It is an enormous challenge that leaders and thinkers within society must holistically and strategically confront, otherwise the society will fall back to a bleak future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Episode 45 - https://youtu.be/qOSOc3vJRBk
AI & Humankind | What Might the Future Hold?
March 2, 2021
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Vicar Sayeedi
March 3, 2021
Americans haven’t yet understood just how profoundly Artificial Intelligence and other 4th Industrial Revolution technologies will impact their individual lives and families, communities, economy and society, places of work, their collective national security, democratic freedoms, social welfare or international affairs and America’s place in this new world order. Artificial Intelligence is very complicated: perhaps it’s best described as a field of fields or as disciplines within disciplines. As a society, America urgently needs to consider and grasp the awesome power of AI and its related technologies. But even in such a fluid and opaque environment, many critical decisions urgently need to be made so the nation can accelerate the timeline for AI innovation lest it fall dangerously behind its rapidly emerging ideological opponent, China. This is a solemn moment. We mustn’t believe otherwise. These decisions must be taken if we are to prepare the United States for the threats such powerful technologies pose to the nation and to establish guardrails against the malevolent application of AI against us or against our allies.
The rapid advancement in China’s capabilities in the field of Artificial Intelligence over the past six years has been humbling. The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated determination as well as strategic and technical prowess that have taken them from a nascent AI capability in the middle of the last decade to a position of leadership in important areas today. AI enabled facial recognition is one of the more prominent examples of their impressive but concerning capability. China now has approximately 400 million cameras installed on streets throughout the country and the AI Agent underlying this network can identify faces in 100 mS or 1/10th of a second. As mentioned, it is an impressive capability but also very worrisome since facial recognition technology of such sophistication entrenches tremendous power within an Authoritarian regime.
This new era of ideological, scientific and technological competition, this new cold war will likely alter our world in many profound ways. With this sobering thought in mind, we must collectively decide whether we are willing to proactively and strategically invest and work to shape this new world order or whether we will stand by and wait to be swept away by the ocean current of the 4th Industrial Revolution at high tide. Having been repeatedly warned in these essays, podcasts and in other reports that the application of AI in virtually all aspects of human life will continue to grow and that the pace of innovation will only accelerate, we must awaken from our slumber and we must thoughtfully choose our future.
Unfortunately, we know from the historical record and from our own contemporary intelligence services and global security alliances that our ideological adversaries are determined to use the power of AI to undermine our lives at every turn. We have recently experienced this in the form of election interference and misinformation campaigns, the sowing of mistrust in authorities during the pandemic and the recent and unprecedented SolarWinds cyber attack. We also know that China is determined in its strategic objective to surpass America in AI by 2025. Finally, we must keep in mind that advances in AI are cumulative, they serve as scaffolding for other important advances and they also enable significant advantages for those first to achieve important breakthroughs.
Time is running out and so we must commence a plan of how we are to proceed. We must capture our vision and articulate a strategic plan that fulfills this vision. We must determine the framework in which we are to operate, a rules-based order agreed across and within our alliance network, and we must establish the necessary collaborative framework to fulfill this vision by coordinating and engaging across academia, government and industry. Our success in planning will determine our success in the greatest ideological conflict, both hot and cold, humankind has yet seen. We cannot afford to be wrong. We will need to invest to any degree required if we are to maintain our leadership across all facets of AI and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies so we can successfully defend democracy and open, free societies.
We must recognize that AI is the most powerful technology humankind has ever encountered and there is no doubt that it will reset our world. We must lead this reset, this change – there can be no Plan B. In the words of Henry Kissinger: “When your scope for action is greatest, the knowledge on which you can base this action is always at a minimum. When your knowledge is greatest, the scope for action has often disappeared.”
By most estimates, the United States currently maintains an advantage over China in Artificial Intelligence. But if America is to maintain its leadership position in areas as critical to national security as AI, particularly when we consider the rising ideological challenge from the PRC, we will need that carefully considered and thoroughly vetted strategic plan now. Fortunately, the National Security Commission presented just such a plan earlier this week.
In a report released on March 1st, 2021 and chaired by Dr. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, or NSCAI, went beyond AI and enumerated the need to create an overarching National Strategy for Technology, essentially a holistic examination across all branches of government that will ensure the safekeeping of American technological leadership. The report unequivocally stated that AI in and of itself would not ensure American leadership since AI sits at the center of a constellation of emerging and critical 4th Industrial Revolution technologies. Each of these technologies must be considered and invested in if we are to succeed.
The NSCAI report implemented a process that was long overdue since, with surprisingly weak mechanisms in place, China and other adversaries of Western Liberal democracies have been using cyber crime and other clandestine measures to extricate critical US technological advancements from US academic institutions, government labs and private industries for many years.
Congress created the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence NSCAI three years ago to examine how the US might develop and deploy AI Agents to fulfill the needs of the nation’s national security and defense requirements. The Commission’s recommendations, and the sense of urgency embodied in the document, will likely contextualize the U.S. government’s AI strategy for the rest of the decade and beyond, particularly within the country’s National Security agencies and the Department of Defense. In a humbling assessment, the report states unequivocally that American supremacy in AI is not automatic or guaranteed and that the government must act with a sense of urgency if it is to master AI’s transformative power. We must hope that the sleeping giant that is America has now been awakened and that, as it has done before in times of impending crises, it will rise to the occasion.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
Vicar Sayeedi
March 3, 2021
Americans haven’t yet understood just how profoundly Artificial Intelligence and other 4th Industrial Revolution technologies will impact their individual lives and families, communities, economy and society, places of work, their collective national security, democratic freedoms, social welfare or international affairs and America’s place in this new world order. Artificial Intelligence is very complicated: perhaps it’s best described as a field of fields or as disciplines within disciplines. As a society, America urgently needs to consider and grasp the awesome power of AI and its related technologies. But even in such a fluid and opaque environment, many critical decisions urgently need to be made so the nation can accelerate the timeline for AI innovation lest it fall dangerously behind its rapidly emerging ideological opponent, China. This is a solemn moment. We mustn’t believe otherwise. These decisions must be taken if we are to prepare the United States for the threats such powerful technologies pose to the nation and to establish guardrails against the malevolent application of AI against us or against our allies.
The rapid advancement in China’s capabilities in the field of Artificial Intelligence over the past six years has been humbling. The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated determination as well as strategic and technical prowess that have taken them from a nascent AI capability in the middle of the last decade to a position of leadership in important areas today. AI enabled facial recognition is one of the more prominent examples of their impressive but concerning capability. China now has approximately 400 million cameras installed on streets throughout the country and the AI Agent underlying this network can identify faces in 100 mS or 1/10th of a second. As mentioned, it is an impressive capability but also very worrisome since facial recognition technology of such sophistication entrenches tremendous power within an Authoritarian regime.
This new era of ideological, scientific and technological competition, this new cold war will likely alter our world in many profound ways. With this sobering thought in mind, we must collectively decide whether we are willing to proactively and strategically invest and work to shape this new world order or whether we will stand by and wait to be swept away by the ocean current of the 4th Industrial Revolution at high tide. Having been repeatedly warned in these essays, podcasts and in other reports that the application of AI in virtually all aspects of human life will continue to grow and that the pace of innovation will only accelerate, we must awaken from our slumber and we must thoughtfully choose our future.
Unfortunately, we know from the historical record and from our own contemporary intelligence services and global security alliances that our ideological adversaries are determined to use the power of AI to undermine our lives at every turn. We have recently experienced this in the form of election interference and misinformation campaigns, the sowing of mistrust in authorities during the pandemic and the recent and unprecedented SolarWinds cyber attack. We also know that China is determined in its strategic objective to surpass America in AI by 2025. Finally, we must keep in mind that advances in AI are cumulative, they serve as scaffolding for other important advances and they also enable significant advantages for those first to achieve important breakthroughs.
Time is running out and so we must commence a plan of how we are to proceed. We must capture our vision and articulate a strategic plan that fulfills this vision. We must determine the framework in which we are to operate, a rules-based order agreed across and within our alliance network, and we must establish the necessary collaborative framework to fulfill this vision by coordinating and engaging across academia, government and industry. Our success in planning will determine our success in the greatest ideological conflict, both hot and cold, humankind has yet seen. We cannot afford to be wrong. We will need to invest to any degree required if we are to maintain our leadership across all facets of AI and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies so we can successfully defend democracy and open, free societies.
We must recognize that AI is the most powerful technology humankind has ever encountered and there is no doubt that it will reset our world. We must lead this reset, this change – there can be no Plan B. In the words of Henry Kissinger: “When your scope for action is greatest, the knowledge on which you can base this action is always at a minimum. When your knowledge is greatest, the scope for action has often disappeared.”
By most estimates, the United States currently maintains an advantage over China in Artificial Intelligence. But if America is to maintain its leadership position in areas as critical to national security as AI, particularly when we consider the rising ideological challenge from the PRC, we will need that carefully considered and thoroughly vetted strategic plan now. Fortunately, the National Security Commission presented just such a plan earlier this week.
In a report released on March 1st, 2021 and chaired by Dr. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, or NSCAI, went beyond AI and enumerated the need to create an overarching National Strategy for Technology, essentially a holistic examination across all branches of government that will ensure the safekeeping of American technological leadership. The report unequivocally stated that AI in and of itself would not ensure American leadership since AI sits at the center of a constellation of emerging and critical 4th Industrial Revolution technologies. Each of these technologies must be considered and invested in if we are to succeed.
The NSCAI report implemented a process that was long overdue since, with surprisingly weak mechanisms in place, China and other adversaries of Western Liberal democracies have been using cyber crime and other clandestine measures to extricate critical US technological advancements from US academic institutions, government labs and private industries for many years.
Congress created the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence NSCAI three years ago to examine how the US might develop and deploy AI Agents to fulfill the needs of the nation’s national security and defense requirements. The Commission’s recommendations, and the sense of urgency embodied in the document, will likely contextualize the U.S. government’s AI strategy for the rest of the decade and beyond, particularly within the country’s National Security agencies and the Department of Defense. In a humbling assessment, the report states unequivocally that American supremacy in AI is not automatic or guaranteed and that the government must act with a sense of urgency if it is to master AI’s transformative power. We must hope that the sleeping giant that is America has now been awakened and that, as it has done before in times of impending crises, it will rise to the occasion.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Episode 44 - https://youtu.be/mWaPW_UolVo
AI & Geopolitics | Critical Strategic Planning in the Age of China
February 25, 2021
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics & Radiology
Vicar Sayeedi
February 26, 2021
The application of Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences is one of the most exciting areas in which AI can and is having a profound impact. This is because AI has the potential to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for millions or even billions of ordinary people across the globe. AI can compensate for key shortages of highly trained medical staff, thus dramatically improving healthcare access. It can also constantly monitor human biometrics and thus alert the individual and their health system at the very first sign of emerging pathology.
Artificial Intelligence is also capable of processing volumes of medical data that for humans remains incomprehensible and AI can complete this processing in a matter of seconds. This process can potentially identify patterns that can predict the onset of various pathologies along a timeline in which they can be quickly contained and before any significant harm has been done to patient health. This will improve the quality of life for patients around the world who may have previously lacked healthcare access and it will also reduce costs for financially stressed health systems throughout both the Developing and Developed World.
One important area where Artificial Intelligence is playing just such a role is in the medical field of Radiology. For the past several years, Researchers at Stanford University’s Department of Computer Science have been working on a fascinating application of Deep Learning Neural Networks in the area of Radiology. They have developed an AI Agent that can identify pathology in x-rays. The Researchers used a set of 100,000 x-ray charts they received from the National Institutes of Health. Some charts had no pathology while others did present some pathology. The NIH also provided comprehensive information regarding the nature of the pathology. The Stanford AI application was ‘trained’ on these 100,000 charts and was then tested by showing it new charts. The tests demonstrated that the AI was accurate 33% of the time whereas Radiologists trained at Stanford Medical School were accurate 95% of the time.
The researchers obtained a second dataset of 200,000 additional x-rays from Stanford University’s Medical School and continued to ‘train’ the AI application with this new dataset. The AI application is now 98% accurate in identifying pathology in the x-rays along with the nature of the disease.
If we think about all the rural and urban communities in the Developing World or in the numerous conflict zones where the need for effective diagnosis exists, an AI application like the one from Stanford will be of inestimable value – there may now be diagnostic imaging equipment available in some of these distant communities but it’s unlikely that they will have Radiologists available with the capacity or skill to effectively read so many diagnostic images. In fact, the sad reality is that amongst the world’s population of 7.5 billion, only 2 billion have access to medical imaging and subsequent professional diagnosis.
The Godfather of Deep Learning, Geoff Hinton at the University of Toronto, along with his protégés, Yashua Benjio at the University of Montreal and Yann LuCann at NYU, believe that we should stop training so many Radiologists because within five years AI will be so superior to humans in detecting and diagnosing disease that Radiologists will be used in a different way in the medical field. Scientists at Stanford agree with Hinton but Radiologists at the University of Chicago Medical School believe that such claims are exaggerated. Nevertheless, there are currently only 38,000 Radiologists practicing in the US and these new AI Radiology Agents take just 46 seconds to read, identify and assess pathology in the same volume of images than these highly trained and experienced Radiologists can do in two days.
Hence, the ability of Artificial Intelligence Agents such as the one from Stanford is very likely to lower the cost of Radiology services while also providing very rapid analysis. Such AI Agents will also make these services much more accessible to underserved communities around the world.
Another exciting, albeit futuristic, application of Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences is in the field of Connectomics. Aurora 21 is a supercomputer being developed by the US Department of Energy at Argonne National Labs in Suburban Chicago. The Department of Energy is collaborating with Intel, IBM and others in building America’s first Exascale computer that can simultaneously process a quintillion instructions. That’s 10 raised to the power 18. When completed, The Aurora 21 machine will occupy a ¼ acre of physical space and will be the world’s fastest supercomputer.
A key application for this state of the art machine will be in the science of Connectomics. Aurora 21 and the Connectomics project will work to map the 85 billion or so neurons in the human brain, along with the synaptic links between each of these neurons, into silicon. Once the human neural network – the interconnected neuronal pathways of the brain – are mapped, then, in theory, it is essentially preserved indefinitely. This may be one of the greatest achievements in the history of scientific discovery.
Although Connectomics research is still in early stages and requires computational ability that can easily consume all available computing resources currently available on the planet, the implications of such a mapping are profound. It may yet take four to eight decades, but once we succeed, we will have essentially extricated the human mind from its biochemical host and preserved it indefinitely in silicon based memory chips and processors. Then, each mind may have the potential to live on indefinitely. We have yet to understand the implications for succeeding in such an unsettling task but, much like the CRISPR Cas9 Gene Editing technique pioneered by Jennifer Doudna of the University of California Berkley and Emanuel Charpentier of Max Planck in Berlin and recently recognized by the Nobel Committee in 2020, there are many ethical and philosophical questions that we will need to consider.
We do not understand the place or role of the human conscience as we move forward in this extrication of the human mind from its biochemical host – for example, will the conscience automatically transfer during this extrication process or not – and this will lead to tremendous controversy, ethical debate and cause for regulation, much like we are currently experiencing in the field of gene editing.
Ethical and philosophical challenges not withstanding, the potential for progress in such extrication and transplantation, or transhumanism to silicon is staggering. So many of the ideas that have frustrated human minds for centuries suddenly become plausible and feasible. For example, the content of our mind – that is our thoughts and ideas, our memories and personality and even our conscience – this can readily and easily move from place to place, not simply on Earth, but across the Universe and at light speed. This scientific and technological path makes mass Earth and space travel realistic for the first time in human history while simultaneously disturbing the path of evolutionary biology with this alternative and profound path of intelligent design. In fact the more we think about it, we find the possibilities resulting from Connectomics are endless.
At this point, you might be thinking that this is just science fiction but in fact nothing we are discussing is contradicted by the laws of physics, according to Professor and Theoretical Physicist, Michio Kaku at the City University of New York. We are now capable of exploring the Universe as pure consciousness, traveling, when needed, at the speed of light, and then embodied in Avatars or exoskeletons once at our destination.
Of course, this does call into question what it really means to be human anymore – and we are uncertain about the consequences of embarking upon the Connectomics and Transhumanism trajectory even though we are scientifically convinced that through silicon and Artificial Intelligence algorithms we can potentially preserve human consciousness, memories, personalities and thoughts indefinitely. Although we may be fifty years from rudimentary capability in these revolutionary sciences, by the end of the century we may have realistic abilities for such preservation of human life.
But what might we get wrong along this journey and what might the consequences of these mistakes be? We are interrupting Evolutionary Biology. Is this a step forward for humankind or is it some form of an escape? These are questions that remain to be answered as Aurora 21 and other Quantum and Super Computers enabled by Artificial Intelligence unlock the secrets of the human mind in the coming decades.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics - Transhumanism & Radiology
Vicar Sayeedi
February 26, 2021
The application of Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences is one of the most exciting areas in which AI can and is having a profound impact. This is because AI has the potential to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for millions or even billions of ordinary people across the globe. AI can compensate for key shortages of highly trained medical staff, thus dramatically improving healthcare access. It can also constantly monitor human biometrics and thus alert the individual and their health system at the very first sign of emerging pathology.
Artificial Intelligence is also capable of processing volumes of medical data that for humans remains incomprehensible and AI can complete this processing in a matter of seconds. This process can potentially identify patterns that can predict the onset of various pathologies along a timeline in which they can be quickly contained and before any significant harm has been done to patient health. This will improve the quality of life for patients around the world who may have previously lacked healthcare access and it will also reduce costs for financially stressed health systems throughout both the Developing and Developed World.
One important area where Artificial Intelligence is playing just such a role is in the medical field of Radiology. For the past several years, Researchers at Stanford University’s Department of Computer Science have been working on a fascinating application of Deep Learning Neural Networks in the area of Radiology. They have developed an AI Agent that can identify pathology in x-rays. The Researchers used a set of 100,000 x-ray charts they received from the National Institutes of Health. Some charts had no pathology while others did present some pathology. The NIH also provided comprehensive information regarding the nature of the pathology. The Stanford AI application was ‘trained’ on these 100,000 charts and was then tested by showing it new charts. The tests demonstrated that the AI was accurate 33% of the time whereas Radiologists trained at Stanford Medical School were accurate 95% of the time.
The researchers obtained a second dataset of 200,000 additional x-rays from Stanford University’s Medical School and continued to ‘train’ the AI application with this new dataset. The AI application is now 98% accurate in identifying pathology in the x-rays along with the nature of the disease.
If we think about all the rural and urban communities in the Developing World or in the numerous conflict zones where the need for effective diagnosis exists, an AI application like the one from Stanford will be of inestimable value – there may now be diagnostic imaging equipment available in some of these distant communities but it’s unlikely that they will have Radiologists available with the capacity or skill to effectively read so many diagnostic images. In fact, the sad reality is that amongst the world’s population of 7.5 billion, only 2 billion have access to medical imaging and subsequent professional diagnosis.
The Godfather of Deep Learning, Geoff Hinton at the University of Toronto, along with his protégés, Yashua Benjio at the University of Montreal and Yann LuCann at NYU, believe that we should stop training so many Radiologists because within five years AI will be so superior to humans in detecting and diagnosing disease that Radiologists will be used in a different way in the medical field. Scientists at Stanford agree with Hinton but Radiologists at the University of Chicago Medical School believe that such claims are exaggerated. Nevertheless, there are currently only 38,000 Radiologists practicing in the US and these new AI Radiology Agents take just 46 seconds to read, identify and assess pathology in the same volume of images than these highly trained and experienced Radiologists can do in two days.
Hence, the ability of Artificial Intelligence Agents such as the one from Stanford is very likely to lower the cost of Radiology services while also providing very rapid analysis. Such AI Agents will also make these services much more accessible to underserved communities around the world.
Another exciting, albeit futuristic, application of Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences is in the field of Connectomics. Aurora 21 is a supercomputer being developed by the US Department of Energy at Argonne National Labs in Suburban Chicago. The Department of Energy is collaborating with Intel, IBM and others in building America’s first Exascale computer that can simultaneously process a quintillion instructions. That’s 10 raised to the power 18. When completed, The Aurora 21 machine will occupy a ¼ acre of physical space and will be the world’s fastest supercomputer.
A key application for this state of the art machine will be in the science of Connectomics. Aurora 21 and the Connectomics project will work to map the 85 billion or so neurons in the human brain, along with the synaptic links between each of these neurons, into silicon. Once the human neural network – the interconnected neuronal pathways of the brain – are mapped, then, in theory, it is essentially preserved indefinitely. This may be one of the greatest achievements in the history of scientific discovery.
Although Connectomics research is still in early stages and requires computational ability that can easily consume all available computing resources currently available on the planet, the implications of such a mapping are profound. It may yet take four to eight decades, but once we succeed, we will have essentially extricated the human mind from its biochemical host and preserved it indefinitely in silicon based memory chips and processors. Then, each mind may have the potential to live on indefinitely. We have yet to understand the implications for succeeding in such an unsettling task but, much like the CRISPR Cas9 Gene Editing technique pioneered by Jennifer Doudna of the University of California Berkley and Emanuel Charpentier of Max Planck in Berlin and recently recognized by the Nobel Committee in 2020, there are many ethical and philosophical questions that we will need to consider.
We do not understand the place or role of the human conscience as we move forward in this extrication of the human mind from its biochemical host – for example, will the conscience automatically transfer during this extrication process or not – and this will lead to tremendous controversy, ethical debate and cause for regulation, much like we are currently experiencing in the field of gene editing.
Ethical and philosophical challenges not withstanding, the potential for progress in such extrication and transplantation, or transhumanism to silicon is staggering. So many of the ideas that have frustrated human minds for centuries suddenly become plausible and feasible. For example, the content of our mind – that is our thoughts and ideas, our memories and personality and even our conscience – this can readily and easily move from place to place, not simply on Earth, but across the Universe and at light speed. This scientific and technological path makes mass Earth and space travel realistic for the first time in human history while simultaneously disturbing the path of evolutionary biology with this alternative and profound path of intelligent design. In fact the more we think about it, we find the possibilities resulting from Connectomics are endless.
At this point, you might be thinking that this is just science fiction but in fact nothing we are discussing is contradicted by the laws of physics, according to Professor and Theoretical Physicist, Michio Kaku at the City University of New York. We are now capable of exploring the Universe as pure consciousness, traveling, when needed, at the speed of light, and then embodied in Avatars or exoskeletons once at our destination.
Of course, this does call into question what it really means to be human anymore – and we are uncertain about the consequences of embarking upon the Connectomics and Transhumanism trajectory even though we are scientifically convinced that through silicon and Artificial Intelligence algorithms we can potentially preserve human consciousness, memories, personalities and thoughts indefinitely. Although we may be fifty years from rudimentary capability in these revolutionary sciences, by the end of the century we may have realistic abilities for such preservation of human life.
But what might we get wrong along this journey and what might the consequences of these mistakes be? We are interrupting Evolutionary Biology. Is this a step forward for humankind or is it some form of an escape? These are questions that remain to be answered as Aurora 21 and other Quantum and Super Computers enabled by Artificial Intelligence unlock the secrets of the human mind in the coming decades.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Episode 43 - https://youtu.be/7XeNyE8CA9I
AI & the Life Sciences | Developments in Connectomics - Transhumanism & Radiology
February 22, 2021
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 22, 2021
It’s a strange time in American history. On one hand, America’s scientific and technical competency and prowess have reached staggering heights while on the other hand our governance has reached previously unimaginable lows in its ability to effectively respond to crises.
It’s been just over a year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus in China’s Wuhan Province and already a number of American and European companies including Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, Moderna, Novavax, Oxford/Astra Zeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech have successfully developed and trialed highly effective and safe vaccines. The data now being reported from around the world and published in peer reviewed academic journals indicates that Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine is showing efficacy of nearly 90% after just a single dose and that it is also nearly as effective in containing transmissibility. The Western scientific community has done nothing less than a brilliant job in developing this and so many other vaccines that will benefit humankind by saving countless lives. Normally, it can take ten or more years to develop safe and effective vaccines but in the span of under one year we now have at least five vaccines through Phase 3 in the clinical trial process. It’s a truly admirable and unprecedented performance!
As of today, the Pandemic continues to rage around the world and we now have 111 million cases with 2.5 million deaths. 500,000 of those deaths have occurred in the United States, alone. But in the midst of this chaos and tragedy, the entire planet’s economy has effectively been running on American software, systems and technology and has done so without so much as a hiccup. Thousands of conference calls now take place daily on video platforms provided by companies including Cisco-WebEx, Microsoft-Teams and Zoom effectively bringing together participants from around the world so they can collaborate and solve problems in the digital domain. At the same time, millions of consumers around the world are able to order books, hand sanitizer, face masks, groceries and virtually any other product they need or want from on-line e-commerce platforms like Amazon and they are able to keep in touch with family, friends and professional colleagues on social media platforms from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. In the evening, they can relax and watch endless hours of streaming videos on Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix.
Just last week, guided by a diverse group of brilliant male and female scientists and technologists, we witnessed the surreal footage from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories of the Perseverance Rover’s effortless landing on the surface of Mars. It was understandably hard not to feel a sense of pride in being an American as we watched that truly extraordinary moment unfold on our cell phones and laptops.
At the same time, though, given the openness of our democratic society and the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution, our free and independent press, our Fourth Estate also covered the extraordinary failings of the American government and that of other leading Western democratic nations as they capitulated in dramatic fashion as they attempted to test, trace, quarantine and vaccinate their societies. It has been a truly humbling display and a realization of how poor our governance has really become in the world’s leading democracies, particularly in the US, the UK and the EU. After nearly 40 years of effort by leading politicians in the US and the UK to delegitimize government in the eyes of its citizens and then subsequently to defund so many critical government agencies and functions – “The deconstruction of the Administrative State” as Steve Bannon put it –we now find ourselves turning to these very same agencies and institutions to provide leadership and service in a time of grave global crisis.
Before the onset of the Pandemic in early 2020, many would have expected the United States to lead the world in rapidly and effectively containing the Pandemic within its own borders using its expertise in public health and related scientific and technological innovations for tracking and tracing while simultaneously providing leadership to the rest of the world in exactly how to contain the virus. All public health authorities in leading democratic nations in the West understand that America and other leading Western European nations must use their best in class capabilities and take the lead in formulating a plan to inoculate the rest of the world since unless the entire world population is vaccinated, the virus is likely to continue to mutate into new, evasive and perhaps ever more potent variants. Then we have the very real quagmire that vaccines and vaccinated people will once again be at risk and the social fabric will continue to fray as socioeconomic and political fall out is further exacerbated.
As a result of these catastrophic failures in public health administration and the resulting deaths and economic damage, the evidence is clear: people around the world are feeling increasingly gloomy in their outlook for democracy and its ability to retain its role as the best in class form of governance for the future. An unintended and worrisome consequence of this emerging reality is that we are inadvertently strengthening the hand of Right Wing Authoritarian regimes.
For quite some time, many thought leaders in political science have believed that working class people in the West have been turning away from center left social democratic parties and towards far right Authoritarian populists in America and Europe because these workers feel they’ve been left behind after more than thirty years of Globalization. Workers feel that center left parties who were supposed to represent their interests have instead negotiated trade deals that serve the interests of financial and industrial elites and that workers like them never had a seat at the table as these trade deals were consummated. Brexit in the UK, the Gilets Jaunes or Yellow Vest movement in France and the Trump/MAGA phenomenon in America are each an important example of such working class revolts against Globalization. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and straw man arguments, the rejection of facts and guidance from public health officials and the formation of unsavory movements in dark corners of the Internet are all consequences of this profound loss of faith in democracy and trust in government.
At the same time, though, Globalization doesn’t explain the rise of far right Authoritarian populism in countries and regions as diverse as India, Brazil, Eastern Europe or Turkey where working class people have largely been significant beneficiaries of Globalization. Perhaps then, a key reason that so many citizens around the world have turned their back on Democracy is because the world has become far too complicated and too many citizens just don’t understand the issues. In such a scenario, they’d rather have a strongman who promises to make everything ok and tells them not to worry. He [it’s almost always a man] says he will take care of everything for the people and they needn’t bother to understand these complex matters. It’s a very appealing message; citizens only need to send money when asked and to rise up in revolt when called upon. Other than these modest requirements, they needn’t worry themselves over the complexities of our modern world.
Unfortunately, the people are right in their reticence towards the complexity of the modern world. Science and technology are playing an increasingly important role in society and in the socioeconomic future of everyone and too many people don’t know what to make of it all. The problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that democracy requires the electorate to be informed and capable of thinking critically about the issues of the day but in America we’ve defunded education to such a degree that in the last election cycle 75% of the electorate could not name the three branches of government let alone articulate the implications of 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Computing and Data Science. The people no longer understand the basic function of government let alone the implications of State Surveillance or Surveillance Capitalism upon their lives.
If we visit societies in Northern Europe, we find that they also have about the same percentage of foreign-born citizens – about 15-20% – in their countries and they also face similar challenges posed by unmitigated Globalization. But these societies are much more educated so they’re able to think critically about the issues of the day. They do have Right Wing Authoritarian tendencies in their societies to contend with but the competency and technocratic leadership within their government results in a much greater level of trust for authorities. Their governments have performed much better than the US and UK in managing societal change during the decades since the onset of Globalization. They have social safety nets that cushion the blow of the changing environment in the workplace and they have worked to retrain workers and provide healthcare and education across the society. As a result, they are not facing the grave challenges to their democratic way of life as that seen in the US and the UK.
Unfortunately, as we go forward, technologies such as Artificial Intelligence will be excellent tools for Authoritarian regimes to strengthen their grip on power through AI enabled state surveillance and through biotechnology. This means the challenges faced by the KGB in the Soviet Union and the East German Stasi during the Cold War in the 20th century will not be an issue for modern day Authoritarian regimes. So if we are determined to preserve our democratic way of life as enshrined in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, the only way to mitigate the risk of Authoritarianism in the United States and in the rest of the Developed World will be through a rapid and profound rededication to investment in education for all our citizens. The ideological challenge posed by the Soviet Union in the middle of the last century pushed the West to rise to the challenge. Perhaps the emerging Cold War with China will have a similar effect. Let us hope.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 22, 2021
It’s a strange time in American history. On one hand, America’s scientific and technical competency and prowess have reached staggering heights while on the other hand our governance has reached previously unimaginable lows in its ability to effectively respond to crises.
It’s been just over a year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus in China’s Wuhan Province and already a number of American and European companies including Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, Moderna, Novavax, Oxford/Astra Zeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech have successfully developed and trialed highly effective and safe vaccines. The data now being reported from around the world and published in peer reviewed academic journals indicates that Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine is showing efficacy of nearly 90% after just a single dose and that it is also nearly as effective in containing transmissibility. The Western scientific community has done nothing less than a brilliant job in developing this and so many other vaccines that will benefit humankind by saving countless lives. Normally, it can take ten or more years to develop safe and effective vaccines but in the span of under one year we now have at least five vaccines through Phase 3 in the clinical trial process. It’s a truly admirable and unprecedented performance!
As of today, the Pandemic continues to rage around the world and we now have 111 million cases with 2.5 million deaths. 500,000 of those deaths have occurred in the United States, alone. But in the midst of this chaos and tragedy, the entire planet’s economy has effectively been running on American software, systems and technology and has done so without so much as a hiccup. Thousands of conference calls now take place daily on video platforms provided by companies including Cisco-WebEx, Microsoft-Teams and Zoom effectively bringing together participants from around the world so they can collaborate and solve problems in the digital domain. At the same time, millions of consumers around the world are able to order books, hand sanitizer, face masks, groceries and virtually any other product they need or want from on-line e-commerce platforms like Amazon and they are able to keep in touch with family, friends and professional colleagues on social media platforms from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. In the evening, they can relax and watch endless hours of streaming videos on Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix.
Just last week, guided by a diverse group of brilliant male and female scientists and technologists, we witnessed the surreal footage from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories of the Perseverance Rover’s effortless landing on the surface of Mars. It was understandably hard not to feel a sense of pride in being an American as we watched that truly extraordinary moment unfold on our cell phones and laptops.
At the same time, though, given the openness of our democratic society and the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution, our free and independent press, our Fourth Estate also covered the extraordinary failings of the American government and that of other leading Western democratic nations as they capitulated in dramatic fashion as they attempted to test, trace, quarantine and vaccinate their societies. It has been a truly humbling display and a realization of how poor our governance has really become in the world’s leading democracies, particularly in the US, the UK and the EU. After nearly 40 years of effort by leading politicians in the US and the UK to delegitimize government in the eyes of its citizens and then subsequently to defund so many critical government agencies and functions – “The deconstruction of the Administrative State” as Steve Bannon put it –we now find ourselves turning to these very same agencies and institutions to provide leadership and service in a time of grave global crisis.
Before the onset of the Pandemic in early 2020, many would have expected the United States to lead the world in rapidly and effectively containing the Pandemic within its own borders using its expertise in public health and related scientific and technological innovations for tracking and tracing while simultaneously providing leadership to the rest of the world in exactly how to contain the virus. All public health authorities in leading democratic nations in the West understand that America and other leading Western European nations must use their best in class capabilities and take the lead in formulating a plan to inoculate the rest of the world since unless the entire world population is vaccinated, the virus is likely to continue to mutate into new, evasive and perhaps ever more potent variants. Then we have the very real quagmire that vaccines and vaccinated people will once again be at risk and the social fabric will continue to fray as socioeconomic and political fall out is further exacerbated.
As a result of these catastrophic failures in public health administration and the resulting deaths and economic damage, the evidence is clear: people around the world are feeling increasingly gloomy in their outlook for democracy and its ability to retain its role as the best in class form of governance for the future. An unintended and worrisome consequence of this emerging reality is that we are inadvertently strengthening the hand of Right Wing Authoritarian regimes.
For quite some time, many thought leaders in political science have believed that working class people in the West have been turning away from center left social democratic parties and towards far right Authoritarian populists in America and Europe because these workers feel they’ve been left behind after more than thirty years of Globalization. Workers feel that center left parties who were supposed to represent their interests have instead negotiated trade deals that serve the interests of financial and industrial elites and that workers like them never had a seat at the table as these trade deals were consummated. Brexit in the UK, the Gilets Jaunes or Yellow Vest movement in France and the Trump/MAGA phenomenon in America are each an important example of such working class revolts against Globalization. The proliferation of conspiracy theories and straw man arguments, the rejection of facts and guidance from public health officials and the formation of unsavory movements in dark corners of the Internet are all consequences of this profound loss of faith in democracy and trust in government.
At the same time, though, Globalization doesn’t explain the rise of far right Authoritarian populism in countries and regions as diverse as India, Brazil, Eastern Europe or Turkey where working class people have largely been significant beneficiaries of Globalization. Perhaps then, a key reason that so many citizens around the world have turned their back on Democracy is because the world has become far too complicated and too many citizens just don’t understand the issues. In such a scenario, they’d rather have a strongman who promises to make everything ok and tells them not to worry. He [it’s almost always a man] says he will take care of everything for the people and they needn’t bother to understand these complex matters. It’s a very appealing message; citizens only need to send money when asked and to rise up in revolt when called upon. Other than these modest requirements, they needn’t worry themselves over the complexities of our modern world.
Unfortunately, the people are right in their reticence towards the complexity of the modern world. Science and technology are playing an increasingly important role in society and in the socioeconomic future of everyone and too many people don’t know what to make of it all. The problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that democracy requires the electorate to be informed and capable of thinking critically about the issues of the day but in America we’ve defunded education to such a degree that in the last election cycle 75% of the electorate could not name the three branches of government let alone articulate the implications of 4th Industrial Revolution sciences and technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Computing and Data Science. The people no longer understand the basic function of government let alone the implications of State Surveillance or Surveillance Capitalism upon their lives.
If we visit societies in Northern Europe, we find that they also have about the same percentage of foreign-born citizens – about 15-20% – in their countries and they also face similar challenges posed by unmitigated Globalization. But these societies are much more educated so they’re able to think critically about the issues of the day. They do have Right Wing Authoritarian tendencies in their societies to contend with but the competency and technocratic leadership within their government results in a much greater level of trust for authorities. Their governments have performed much better than the US and UK in managing societal change during the decades since the onset of Globalization. They have social safety nets that cushion the blow of the changing environment in the workplace and they have worked to retrain workers and provide healthcare and education across the society. As a result, they are not facing the grave challenges to their democratic way of life as that seen in the US and the UK.
Unfortunately, as we go forward, technologies such as Artificial Intelligence will be excellent tools for Authoritarian regimes to strengthen their grip on power through AI enabled state surveillance and through biotechnology. This means the challenges faced by the KGB in the Soviet Union and the East German Stasi during the Cold War in the 20th century will not be an issue for modern day Authoritarian regimes. So if we are determined to preserve our democratic way of life as enshrined in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, the only way to mitigate the risk of Authoritarianism in the United States and in the rest of the Developed World will be through a rapid and profound rededication to investment in education for all our citizens. The ideological challenge posed by the Soviet Union in the middle of the last century pushed the West to rise to the challenge. Perhaps the emerging Cold War with China will have a similar effect. Let us hope.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Episode 42 - https://youtu.be/kDKapDK-Vb0
AI | A Harbinger for the End of Democracy?
February 18, 2021
AI – What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
AI – What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 18, 2021
As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly pervasive throughout society, many well meaning AI experts and public intellectuals are working to reassure people that Artificial Intelligence isn’t the threat to their economic future or way of life that they’ve heard or imagined. AI proponents use disarming language and words such as “augment” and “collaborative” to soften the blow that words like “displace” or “replace” might otherwise inspire. It is more reassuring and acceptable to think about and visualize a world where AI is supporting us in our roles, hence setting us free from the performance of tedious activities so we can engage with more intellectually stimulating and therefore fulfilling tasks. It’s certainly reassuring for us to believe that we will remain in control of our world and that AI will be subservient to us and will only augment our efforts.
To be fair, in the near term, augmentation and collaboration are probably accurate when we consider the impact AI will likely have on many human vocations. For example, it’s unlikely that Radiologists will be substantially replaced by Artificial Intelligence this year or even in the next five years. But by 2030, replacement may be much more likely the rule rather than the exception. Thus, it may be best for us to face reality now and be more straightforward when discussing the impacts AI is likely to have on jobs. AI continues to advance with each passing day and is becoming faster, less expensive and more precise in its results. Given this unmistakable trajectory, it is exceedingly likely that AI will displace hundreds of millions of workers across the spectrum of occupations by the end of this decade. In fact, this is the forecast from labor economists in Germany – they have projected the displacement of ~800 million jobs worldwide by the end of the decade with ~73 million of those jobs being in the United States.
With this reality in mind, if we are to effectively prepare ourselves for the impact that AI will have on society in the coming years, it is important for us to be more forthright when discussing this issue with society. We must accept that AI is not just another device or tool that can make our work and lives easier or more comfortable so we need to rethink our future proactively. At the same time, politicians realize that an issue of such dramatic consequence is political dynamite so the political class has been steering clear of any discussion regarding this gathering storm. In the 2020 election cycle in the United States, there was no mention of AI or any other 4th Industrial Revolution technology and it’s implications for the future of work.
Entrepreneurs, politicians, scientists and technologists have much to gain by leading citizens and the electorate to believe that AI will not replace them but will simply augment or complement them in the workforce. Employment remains one of the most basic social and political necessities in every society in the world today. To be openly advocating, promoting or otherwise working towards technologies that will result in the destruction of jobs is a losing proposition for any academic institution, commercial enterprise or political party.
So business leaders often claim that AI will bring humans and machines closer together. They say AI is not about machines replacing humans, but machines augmenting humans. Humans and machines have different relative strengths and weaknesses, and the combination of these two will enable businesses to dramatically improve things in the future. This is all just a pleasant way to soften the blow that AI will eventually deliver. But the fundamental long-term objective of AI is to perform the very same function humans can perform but to be able to perform them more precisely, more cost effectively and much quicker than humans currently can or will ever be able to. Once AI fulfills this fundamental objective, there will be no credible economic or social reason for the continued involvement of humans in a multitude of areas of endeavor or occupation.
Consider self driving vehicles: once an AI Agent can more safely operate a vehicle in all conceivable conditions than a human can, there will be no justification for humans to continue to drive buses, taxis, trains or trucks. AI Agents in command of these vehicles will never exceed speed limits, they will never be distracted and they will never drive while inebriated. Such AI Agents are capable of staying on the road indefinitely without any negative consequences.
Although the technology companies that are now developing these AI Agents are unlikely to acknowledge these realities, their long-term objective is not to simply augment or collaborate with humans who currently perform these or so many other functions, but rather it is to unequivocally replace them. This is where the return on their investment truly lies.
Consider the field of Radiology. The primary task of a Radiologist is to examine various modalities of medical images in an effort to confirm or reject the presence of some pathology. This is essentially an exercise in pattern recognition and object detection across a range of diagnostic images. As it turns out, this is exactly the optimal capability of a Deep Learning Neural Network underpinning AI. A common refrain in the Radiology community is “AI will not replace Radiologists, but Radiologists who use AI will replace Radiologists who don’t.” In other words, Radiologists must move towards the new reality in which they use AI Agents to assist them and collaborate with them in their work.
Undeniably, in the short term this is likely to be precisely the case. AI systems are generally unlikely to replace humans overnight, not in Radiology and not in any other field, simply because it will take time to develop the technology to a degree where it can comprehensively replace humans. Initially then, AI will augment human Radiologists. AI Agents will be used to confirm a Radiologist’s initial findings or medical opinion or to help examine the ever-growing volumes and modalities of diagnostic images, to triage them into an order that will then require human review.
But by the middle of this decade, once it is confirmed that AI Agents are superior to human Radiologists at identifying and diagnosing pathology across all modalities of images, it will no longer make commercial or medical sense to continue using Radiologists. AI Agents are able to review images instantly and they can do so for patients anywhere in the world while simultaneously continuing to improve their performance with each image they read.
Thus, in the controversial words of the Godfather of Deep Learning Neural Networks, Geoff Hinton: “We should stop training Radiologists now. If you work as a Radiologist, you are like Wile E. Coyote in the cartoon; you’re already over the edge of the cliff, but you haven’t looked down.”
What will this mean for humankind? It is very likely that there will be a great deal of human suffering – emotional, financial and social – as a result of this new age of massive job loss. And these losses will take place across all geographies, industries and social strata. It is probable that we will witness job redundancy in areas as diverse as actuaries and accountants, bankers and booksellers, cashiers and clinicians, livery drivers and lawyers. During this decade, human workers across the economy will increasingly find their skills out of favor and their roles obsolete as increasingly sophisticated AI systems are able to perform so many activities better, cheaper and faster than humans have ever been able to. This is an inevitability that is best acknowledged today so we can plan for the impending storm. In a future essay I’ll discuss what leaders of society can do to prepare for the impacts of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We’ve Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 18, 2021
As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly pervasive throughout society, many well meaning AI experts and public intellectuals are working to reassure people that Artificial Intelligence isn’t the threat to their economic future or way of life that they’ve heard or imagined. AI proponents use disarming language and words such as “augment” and “collaborative” to soften the blow that words like “displace” or “replace” might otherwise inspire. It is more reassuring and acceptable to think about and visualize a world where AI is supporting us in our roles, hence setting us free from the performance of tedious activities so we can engage with more intellectually stimulating and therefore fulfilling tasks. It’s certainly reassuring for us to believe that we will remain in control of our world and that AI will be subservient to us and will only augment our efforts.
To be fair, in the near term, augmentation and collaboration are probably accurate when we consider the impact AI will likely have on many human vocations. For example, it’s unlikely that Radiologists will be substantially replaced by Artificial Intelligence this year or even in the next five years. But by 2030, replacement may be much more likely the rule rather than the exception. Thus, it may be best for us to face reality now and be more straightforward when discussing the impacts AI is likely to have on jobs. AI continues to advance with each passing day and is becoming faster, less expensive and more precise in its results. Given this unmistakable trajectory, it is exceedingly likely that AI will displace hundreds of millions of workers across the spectrum of occupations by the end of this decade. In fact, this is the forecast from labor economists in Germany – they have projected the displacement of ~800 million jobs worldwide by the end of the decade with ~73 million of those jobs being in the United States.
With this reality in mind, if we are to effectively prepare ourselves for the impact that AI will have on society in the coming years, it is important for us to be more forthright when discussing this issue with society. We must accept that AI is not just another device or tool that can make our work and lives easier or more comfortable so we need to rethink our future proactively. At the same time, politicians realize that an issue of such dramatic consequence is political dynamite so the political class has been steering clear of any discussion regarding this gathering storm. In the 2020 election cycle in the United States, there was no mention of AI or any other 4th Industrial Revolution technology and it’s implications for the future of work.
Entrepreneurs, politicians, scientists and technologists have much to gain by leading citizens and the electorate to believe that AI will not replace them but will simply augment or complement them in the workforce. Employment remains one of the most basic social and political necessities in every society in the world today. To be openly advocating, promoting or otherwise working towards technologies that will result in the destruction of jobs is a losing proposition for any academic institution, commercial enterprise or political party.
So business leaders often claim that AI will bring humans and machines closer together. They say AI is not about machines replacing humans, but machines augmenting humans. Humans and machines have different relative strengths and weaknesses, and the combination of these two will enable businesses to dramatically improve things in the future. This is all just a pleasant way to soften the blow that AI will eventually deliver. But the fundamental long-term objective of AI is to perform the very same function humans can perform but to be able to perform them more precisely, more cost effectively and much quicker than humans currently can or will ever be able to. Once AI fulfills this fundamental objective, there will be no credible economic or social reason for the continued involvement of humans in a multitude of areas of endeavor or occupation.
Consider self driving vehicles: once an AI Agent can more safely operate a vehicle in all conceivable conditions than a human can, there will be no justification for humans to continue to drive buses, taxis, trains or trucks. AI Agents in command of these vehicles will never exceed speed limits, they will never be distracted and they will never drive while inebriated. Such AI Agents are capable of staying on the road indefinitely without any negative consequences.
Although the technology companies that are now developing these AI Agents are unlikely to acknowledge these realities, their long-term objective is not to simply augment or collaborate with humans who currently perform these or so many other functions, but rather it is to unequivocally replace them. This is where the return on their investment truly lies.
Consider the field of Radiology. The primary task of a Radiologist is to examine various modalities of medical images in an effort to confirm or reject the presence of some pathology. This is essentially an exercise in pattern recognition and object detection across a range of diagnostic images. As it turns out, this is exactly the optimal capability of a Deep Learning Neural Network underpinning AI. A common refrain in the Radiology community is “AI will not replace Radiologists, but Radiologists who use AI will replace Radiologists who don’t.” In other words, Radiologists must move towards the new reality in which they use AI Agents to assist them and collaborate with them in their work.
Undeniably, in the short term this is likely to be precisely the case. AI systems are generally unlikely to replace humans overnight, not in Radiology and not in any other field, simply because it will take time to develop the technology to a degree where it can comprehensively replace humans. Initially then, AI will augment human Radiologists. AI Agents will be used to confirm a Radiologist’s initial findings or medical opinion or to help examine the ever-growing volumes and modalities of diagnostic images, to triage them into an order that will then require human review.
But by the middle of this decade, once it is confirmed that AI Agents are superior to human Radiologists at identifying and diagnosing pathology across all modalities of images, it will no longer make commercial or medical sense to continue using Radiologists. AI Agents are able to review images instantly and they can do so for patients anywhere in the world while simultaneously continuing to improve their performance with each image they read.
Thus, in the controversial words of the Godfather of Deep Learning Neural Networks, Geoff Hinton: “We should stop training Radiologists now. If you work as a Radiologist, you are like Wile E. Coyote in the cartoon; you’re already over the edge of the cliff, but you haven’t looked down.”
What will this mean for humankind? It is very likely that there will be a great deal of human suffering – emotional, financial and social – as a result of this new age of massive job loss. And these losses will take place across all geographies, industries and social strata. It is probable that we will witness job redundancy in areas as diverse as actuaries and accountants, bankers and booksellers, cashiers and clinicians, livery drivers and lawyers. During this decade, human workers across the economy will increasingly find their skills out of favor and their roles obsolete as increasingly sophisticated AI systems are able to perform so many activities better, cheaper and faster than humans have ever been able to. This is an inevitability that is best acknowledged today so we can plan for the impending storm. In a future essay I’ll discuss what leaders of society can do to prepare for the impacts of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We’ve Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Episode 41 - https://youtu.be/ozrO5_XTYKQ
AI | What Will it Mean for the Future of Work?
February 11, 2021
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 12, 2021
With each passing day, more and more devices are connected to the Internet. This includes devices familiar to most of us such as smartphones, watches and other wearable devices, tablets and personal computers. But increasingly, this also includes home appliances, security cameras and cars. Each of these devices enables greater convenience and functionality but it also increases the risk that our privacy might be compromised or that our personal data could be stolen.
Collectively, we must think of cyber security in a manner similar to the way in which we think of our personal health. In cyber security, basic cyber hygiene can undermine and prevent many, if not most, cyber attacks. Crucially though, given that the Developed World has an acute shortage of cyber security experts, finding faster and better ways to train practitioners using real-world scenarios is critically important. Fortunately, the application of Artificial Intelligence Agents in cyber crime containment and security monitoring can improve a Cyber Security Team’s response by triaging threats before the Team is even aware of a significant cyber event.
Today, analysts estimate that there are nearly 12 billion devices connected to the Internet. By 2025, they estimate that there will be more than 30 billion Internet of Things connections, an average of nearly four devices per person. According to The McKinsey Global Institute, 127 new devices are connected to the Internet every second. With so many Internet of Things devices, securing such a large and vulnerable surface area is becoming tremendously challenging, especially when we consider the variability of the devices and the disparity in security standards that they each adhere to.
With such a rapidly expanding universe of Internet devices, the prevailing wisdom amongst network security experts is that any device connected to the network will be vulnerable to attack and will likely expose the wider network. Each device will then be viewed by cyber criminals as a window into our personal data. In fact, a recent report found that an ordinary consumer’s residence is hit with 104 threats every month with the most vulnerable devices being laptop and desktop computers, smartphones and tablets, networked cameras and storage devices and streaming video devices.
At the same time, we must keep in mind that unlike laptops and smartphones, most of the other IOT devices have much less processing power or data storage capabilities which makes it difficult to equip them with anti-virus software, security firewalls and other contemporary modalities of data security that could help protect them. These devices also reside at the edge of the network where they can aggregate data and this makes them particularly desirable targets for actors with nefarious intent.
Given the extraordinary rise in such malicious cyber attacks, particularly when we consider the dramatic growth and proliferation of remote offices due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we need to be vigilant and we need to employ new mechanisms to protect our networks and personal data from exposure to malware, wiretapping and other cyber crime. In May of 2017, a variant of a Ransomware application called “Wannacry” that blocks network access until a ransom is paid spread to over one hundred countries and many thousands of IoT devices. The attack disrupted governments and many organization and commercial enterprise networks that had connectivity via IoT. These contemporary, zero-day attacks – attacks on system vulnerabilities unknown by those in whose system the vulnerability exists – can very quickly overwhelm traditional network security defenses and result in billions of dollars of damage. Recovery from these events often requires several weeks of intensive work to return to pre-attack status and to implement defenses that can prevent a reoccurrence.
The US Administration and Congress have recently recognized this growing threat by passing the Cyber Security Improvement Act. The Act provides guidelines for device identity and encryption that will mandate an additional layer of compliance by requiring manufacturers in industries including automotive, medical devices and other critical infrastructure to design secure products that will reduce their vulnerability to cyber attacks during operation.
Unfortunately, the amount of data generated by so many devices and the number of passwords required to secure them has largely eclipsed the ability of the vast majority of IT security departments. Thus, we must turn to Artificial Intelligence since it is best equipped to contend with such large volumes of data. Only AI has the processing power to dynamically alter its tactics in real time and then respond effectively, thus containing and thwarting threats from malevolent state and non-state actors.
Today, AI Agents incorporating Machine Learning algorithms offer organizations a powerful, cost-effective mechanism to defend against attacks on vulnerable computer networks and cyber-infrastructure. In fact, a Team of researchers at Penn State has developed just such an AI Agent that uses an adaptive approach to defend against cyber attacks using a machine learning modality based upon Reinforcement Learning. The Team developed this AI Agent to address current limitations in the method used to detect and respond to cyber-attacks known as Moving Target Defense, or MTD, according to scientists involved in the project. The scientists believe these new techniques can dynamically and proactively reconfigure previously deployed defenses and can therefore compound complexity and uncertainty for malevolent attackers during windows of heightened vulnerability. This is very important since the current manual Moving Target Defense techniques can be very time consuming. Responses that typically take days can consume significant financial and staff resources of an organization.
One major hurdle for AI and cyber security in threat triage is the volume and types of data required to effectively train the AI Agents. Deep learning systems need large volumes of data to generate good results. With time though, these AI Agents will become much more effective using new Machine Learning techniques that require considerably less data to train them. Machine Learning techniques such as One Shot Learning will better mimic human intelligence in the way they learn and they will also be trained using cyber attack simulations.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 12, 2021
With each passing day, more and more devices are connected to the Internet. This includes devices familiar to most of us such as smartphones, watches and other wearable devices, tablets and personal computers. But increasingly, this also includes home appliances, security cameras and cars. Each of these devices enables greater convenience and functionality but it also increases the risk that our privacy might be compromised or that our personal data could be stolen.
Collectively, we must think of cyber security in a manner similar to the way in which we think of our personal health. In cyber security, basic cyber hygiene can undermine and prevent many, if not most, cyber attacks. Crucially though, given that the Developed World has an acute shortage of cyber security experts, finding faster and better ways to train practitioners using real-world scenarios is critically important. Fortunately, the application of Artificial Intelligence Agents in cyber crime containment and security monitoring can improve a Cyber Security Team’s response by triaging threats before the Team is even aware of a significant cyber event.
Today, analysts estimate that there are nearly 12 billion devices connected to the Internet. By 2025, they estimate that there will be more than 30 billion Internet of Things connections, an average of nearly four devices per person. According to The McKinsey Global Institute, 127 new devices are connected to the Internet every second. With so many Internet of Things devices, securing such a large and vulnerable surface area is becoming tremendously challenging, especially when we consider the variability of the devices and the disparity in security standards that they each adhere to.
With such a rapidly expanding universe of Internet devices, the prevailing wisdom amongst network security experts is that any device connected to the network will be vulnerable to attack and will likely expose the wider network. Each device will then be viewed by cyber criminals as a window into our personal data. In fact, a recent report found that an ordinary consumer’s residence is hit with 104 threats every month with the most vulnerable devices being laptop and desktop computers, smartphones and tablets, networked cameras and storage devices and streaming video devices.
At the same time, we must keep in mind that unlike laptops and smartphones, most of the other IOT devices have much less processing power or data storage capabilities which makes it difficult to equip them with anti-virus software, security firewalls and other contemporary modalities of data security that could help protect them. These devices also reside at the edge of the network where they can aggregate data and this makes them particularly desirable targets for actors with nefarious intent.
Given the extraordinary rise in such malicious cyber attacks, particularly when we consider the dramatic growth and proliferation of remote offices due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we need to be vigilant and we need to employ new mechanisms to protect our networks and personal data from exposure to malware, wiretapping and other cyber crime. In May of 2017, a variant of a Ransomware application called “Wannacry” that blocks network access until a ransom is paid spread to over one hundred countries and many thousands of IoT devices. The attack disrupted governments and many organization and commercial enterprise networks that had connectivity via IoT. These contemporary, zero-day attacks – attacks on system vulnerabilities unknown by those in whose system the vulnerability exists – can very quickly overwhelm traditional network security defenses and result in billions of dollars of damage. Recovery from these events often requires several weeks of intensive work to return to pre-attack status and to implement defenses that can prevent a reoccurrence.
The US Administration and Congress have recently recognized this growing threat by passing the Cyber Security Improvement Act. The Act provides guidelines for device identity and encryption that will mandate an additional layer of compliance by requiring manufacturers in industries including automotive, medical devices and other critical infrastructure to design secure products that will reduce their vulnerability to cyber attacks during operation.
Unfortunately, the amount of data generated by so many devices and the number of passwords required to secure them has largely eclipsed the ability of the vast majority of IT security departments. Thus, we must turn to Artificial Intelligence since it is best equipped to contend with such large volumes of data. Only AI has the processing power to dynamically alter its tactics in real time and then respond effectively, thus containing and thwarting threats from malevolent state and non-state actors.
Today, AI Agents incorporating Machine Learning algorithms offer organizations a powerful, cost-effective mechanism to defend against attacks on vulnerable computer networks and cyber-infrastructure. In fact, a Team of researchers at Penn State has developed just such an AI Agent that uses an adaptive approach to defend against cyber attacks using a machine learning modality based upon Reinforcement Learning. The Team developed this AI Agent to address current limitations in the method used to detect and respond to cyber-attacks known as Moving Target Defense, or MTD, according to scientists involved in the project. The scientists believe these new techniques can dynamically and proactively reconfigure previously deployed defenses and can therefore compound complexity and uncertainty for malevolent attackers during windows of heightened vulnerability. This is very important since the current manual Moving Target Defense techniques can be very time consuming. Responses that typically take days can consume significant financial and staff resources of an organization.
One major hurdle for AI and cyber security in threat triage is the volume and types of data required to effectively train the AI Agents. Deep learning systems need large volumes of data to generate good results. With time though, these AI Agents will become much more effective using new Machine Learning techniques that require considerably less data to train them. Machine Learning techniques such as One Shot Learning will better mimic human intelligence in the way they learn and they will also be trained using cyber attack simulations.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Episode 40 - https://youtu.be/IJYbPfGC-08
AI | Will it be the Bain of Cyber Criminals?
February 4, 2021
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Will AI Perpetuate Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society?
Vicar Sayeedi
February 4, 2021
As Artificial Intelligence incessantly permeates so many sensitive areas and decision support systems within society including the criminal justice system, employment processing and healthcare delivery systems, its near ubiquitous presence has raised many questions regarding bias and fairness. At the same time, human decision-making in these and so many other sensitive domains has historically been flawed since human decisions are shaped by individual and societal biases that often emanate from within the human subconscious. This raises an important issue: with the rapid proliferation and near omnipresence of AI Agents across so many critical areas of society, will the decisions of widely deployed Artificial Intelligence Agents be less biased than what society is currently used to? Or will AI further exacerbate these problems and increase discord amongst various social cohorts?
The awareness of inherent biases in Artificial Intelligence systems, the people who build them and the datasets used to train them is important and growing within academia, government and industry and this is an encouraging development. Today, the consensus view within the AI Community is that AI Agents have the potential to reduce bias, to make these biases permanent or even to perpetuate them at dramatic scale. Thus, with each passing day, it’s becoming increasingly important to develop mechanisms and methodologies that can prevent these biases from being absorbed into and perpetuated by the countless Artificial Intelligence applications that increasingly permeate all aspects of life.
Most contemporary Artificial Intelligence applications are based on a machine learning process known as Deep Learning. This technique has proven to be both effective and reliable in identifying important patterns in data. However, through recent experience, we have learned that various forms of bias can seep in at many stages of the learning process and that conventional methodologies in Computer Science are ill equipped to detect these biases. As a consequence, Artificial Intelligence Agents trained on such large datasets can perpetuate undesirable phenomenon including injustice across a wide range of activities in the economy and society including employee recruitment at companies, in the monitoring of citizens via government surveillance and security systems as well as in adjudication process within the criminal justice system.
The introduction of bias in human decision-making is a well-established and well-documented problem. Research in the judicial system has shown that judges are often influenced by their own personal characteristics when adjudicating. Additionally, research in the labor markets has shown that employers confer interviews upon candidates with similar resumes at very different rates based simply upon their names or other attributes that might indicate that the candidates are from different ethnic or religious groups. Further complicating the matter, human decisions are often difficult to understand since, when asked, people may lie or exaggerate about various attributes and factors they considered in their decision and how they applied them. In some cases, humans are simply unaware of subconscious biases that have impacted their decision.
Too often, bias is present in the extremely large datasets used to train AI Agents. Sometimes this can happen because the dataset is simply unrepresentative of reality or because it reflects existing prejudices. For example, a dataset might consist of more faces of white males versus black males or of more men than women. A facial recognition algorithm used by an AI Agent may then be less effective at correctly identifying females or non-white males. Such problems have recently presented themselves in considering candidates for employment. A well-known company had historically hired more white males than non-white males and more males than females. This bias was present in the training data and so it presented in the AI Agent’s hiring recommendations, as well.
Such dangerous and undesirable biases can seep into AI Agents at various stages. Before datasets are presented to AI Agents for Deep Learning, Computer Scientists instruct the Agent to define the task or what it is they want the Agent to achieve. For example, if an algorithm at a bank is designed to maximize profits it may learn from historical data that selling certain high-risk financial products to vulnerable segments of society – people that are unaware of or unable to understand the underlying risks and the detrimental consequences of these products – has historically been a good way to maximize profits. Thus, the AI Design Team has to be very careful to erect guardrails so that the AI Agent is constrained by an acceptable ethical and legal framework.
Today, leaders and researchers in AI do not reflect the diversity of society with respect to class, gender, geography, physical disabilities, race or religion and it’s not difficult to see that a more diverse community of Computer Scientists and Machine Learning experts will be better equipped to anticipate, recognize and address issues of bias and unfairness in the systems they plan to deploy. Such a community will also be better equipped to engage with communities that are most likely to be affected by such bias. Issues of inherent bias in Artificial Intelligence Agents are complex problems to solve and need to be addressed across many dimensions. They will require considerable investment in AI education within society as well as in access to opportunities.
Today, most simulations of human intelligence in silicon-based machines attempts to replicate human ability for quantitative analysis and reading comprehension but with much greater data processing capacity and speed. These are the dimensions of human intelligence most celebrated within society for the past century or so. But there are many other dimensions of human intelligence that remain unaddressed in AI. As in the case with all species within the Animal Kingdom, how humans respond in various circumstances is a result of Evolutionary Biology. But in humans our behavior is further shaped by culture – the things we believe to be true and right and what we believe the correct response should be in various circumstances. These belief and value systems evolve over time and can be dramatically different amongst the diversity of humankind within the same geography and amongst the species across distinct and distant geographies.
Thus, culture is a highly complex concept to capture in Artificial Intelligence Agents and the datasets used to train them. The culture of the programmers, researchers and other scientists involved in the development of a particular Agent and the datasets tapped during the deep learning process are likely to be the attributes captured or represented in the systems. Similarly, left-brain or right brain orientation, or whether the developers have various others forms of diverse human intelligence such as the abilities required to be composers of symphonies, writers of literature and screenplays, directors of film, radio and television programs, commanders of armies, pilots of fighter jets, captains of nuclear submarines or commanders of rockets bound for the moon, visionary thinkers who can expound on various plausible scenarios for the future, moral philosophers, ballet and contemporary dancers and so many other diverse and nuanced human attributes that can be influenced to different degrees by the Prefrontal Cortex and the Limbic System are just some of the complex, numerous and rich factors found in human societies that are simply not captured in AI today and that further complicate the issue of bias.
This raises a great deal of concern as we progress rapidly towards a world with Artificial General or Artificial Super Intelligence – it’s difficult to predict what the General AI Agents or Super AI Agents will be like, which aspects of human intelligence will remain prominent, which will be pushed into the background or remain completely unrepresented and even whether new, previously un-catalogued dimensions might present themselves in these AI Agents of the future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
AI – The Perpetuation of Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society
Vicar Sayeedi
February 4, 2021
As Artificial Intelligence incessantly permeates so many sensitive areas and decision support systems within society including the criminal justice system, employment processing and healthcare delivery systems, its near ubiquitous presence has raised many questions regarding bias and fairness. At the same time, human decision-making in these and so many other sensitive domains has historically been flawed since human decisions are shaped by individual and societal biases that often emanate from within the human subconscious. This raises an important issue: with the rapid proliferation and near omnipresence of AI Agents across so many critical areas of society, will the decisions of widely deployed Artificial Intelligence Agents be less biased than what society is currently used to? Or will AI further exacerbate these problems and increase discord amongst various social cohorts?
The awareness of inherent biases in Artificial Intelligence systems, the people who build them and the datasets used to train them is important and growing within academia, government and industry and this is an encouraging development. Today, the consensus view within the AI Community is that AI Agents have the potential to reduce bias, to make these biases permanent or even to perpetuate them at dramatic scale. Thus, with each passing day, it’s becoming increasingly important to develop mechanisms and methodologies that can prevent these biases from being absorbed into and perpetuated by the countless Artificial Intelligence applications that increasingly permeate all aspects of life.
Most contemporary Artificial Intelligence applications are based on a machine learning process known as Deep Learning. This technique has proven to be both effective and reliable in identifying important patterns in data. However, through recent experience, we have learned that various forms of bias can seep in at many stages of the learning process and that conventional methodologies in Computer Science are ill equipped to detect these biases. As a consequence, Artificial Intelligence Agents trained on such large datasets can perpetuate undesirable phenomenon including injustice across a wide range of activities in the economy and society including employee recruitment at companies, in the monitoring of citizens via government surveillance and security systems as well as in adjudication process within the criminal justice system.
The introduction of bias in human decision-making is a well-established and well-documented problem. Research in the judicial system has shown that judges are often influenced by their own personal characteristics when adjudicating. Additionally, research in the labor markets has shown that employers confer interviews upon candidates with similar resumes at very different rates based simply upon their names or other attributes that might indicate that the candidates are from different ethnic or religious groups. Further complicating the matter, human decisions are often difficult to understand since, when asked, people may lie or exaggerate about various attributes and factors they considered in their decision and how they applied them. In some cases, humans are simply unaware of subconscious biases that have impacted their decision.
Too often, bias is present in the extremely large datasets used to train AI Agents. Sometimes this can happen because the dataset is simply unrepresentative of reality or because it reflects existing prejudices. For example, a dataset might consist of more faces of white males versus black males or of more men than women. A facial recognition algorithm used by an AI Agent may then be less effective at correctly identifying females or non-white males. Such problems have recently presented themselves in considering candidates for employment. A well-known company had historically hired more white males than non-white males and more males than females. This bias was present in the training data and so it presented in the AI Agent’s hiring recommendations, as well.
Such dangerous and undesirable biases can seep into AI Agents at various stages. Before datasets are presented to AI Agents for Deep Learning, Computer Scientists instruct the Agent to define the task or what it is they want the Agent to achieve. For example, if an algorithm at a bank is designed to maximize profits it may learn from historical data that selling certain high-risk financial products to vulnerable segments of society – people that are unaware of or unable to understand the underlying risks and the detrimental consequences of these products – has historically been a good way to maximize profits. Thus, the AI Design Team has to be very careful to erect guardrails so that the AI Agent is constrained by an acceptable ethical and legal framework.
Today, leaders and researchers in AI do not reflect the diversity of society with respect to class, gender, geography, physical disabilities, race or religion and it’s not difficult to see that a more diverse community of Computer Scientists and Machine Learning experts will be better equipped to anticipate, recognize and address issues of bias and unfairness in the systems they plan to deploy. Such a community will also be better equipped to engage with communities that are most likely to be affected by such bias. Issues of inherent bias in Artificial Intelligence Agents are complex problems to solve and need to be addressed across many dimensions. They will require considerable investment in AI education within society as well as in access to opportunities.
Today, most simulations of human intelligence in silicon-based machines attempts to replicate human ability for quantitative analysis and reading comprehension but with much greater data processing capacity and speed. These are the dimensions of human intelligence most celebrated within society for the past century or so. But there are many other dimensions of human intelligence that remain unaddressed in AI. As in the case with all species within the Animal Kingdom, how humans respond in various circumstances is a result of Evolutionary Biology. But in humans our behavior is further shaped by culture – the things we believe to be true and right and what we believe the correct response should be in various circumstances. These belief and value systems evolve over time and can be dramatically different amongst the diversity of humankind within the same geography and amongst the species across distinct and distant geographies.
Thus, culture is a highly complex concept to capture in Artificial Intelligence Agents and the datasets used to train them. The culture of the programmers, researchers and other scientists involved in the development of a particular Agent and the datasets tapped during the deep learning process are likely to be the attributes captured or represented in the systems. Similarly, left-brain or right brain orientation, or whether the developers have various others forms of diverse human intelligence such as the abilities required to be composers of symphonies, writers of literature and screenplays, directors of film, radio and television programs, commanders of armies, pilots of fighter jets, captains of nuclear submarines or commanders of rockets bound for the moon, visionary thinkers who can expound on various plausible scenarios for the future, moral philosophers, ballet and contemporary dancers and so many other diverse and nuanced human attributes that can be influenced to different degrees by the Prefrontal Cortex and the Limbic System are just some of the complex, numerous and rich factors found in human societies that are simply not captured in AI today and that further complicate the issue of bias.
This raises a great deal of concern as we progress rapidly towards a world with Artificial General or Artificial Super Intelligence – it’s difficult to predict what the General AI Agents or Super AI Agents will be like, which aspects of human intelligence will remain prominent, which will be pushed into the background or remain completely unrepresented and even whether new, previously un-catalogued dimensions might present themselves in these AI Agents of the future.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/UBenYYHbYqM
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Episode 39 - https://youtu.be/ibuJ8vozyqg
AI – The Perpetuation of Bias in Employment, Health Systems, Law and Society
January 28, 2021
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Vicar Sayeedi
January 29, 2021
Many thinkers worry and wonder about the rise of Authoritarianism around the world. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, humankind witnessed an unprecedented wave of Democracy surge across most continents. Countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America seemed to be rapidly and willingly embracing attributes of Western Democracy in their own governance. We witnessed openness, transparency and commitments to free and fair elections everywhere. But by the turn of the century, this trend began to reverse. Today, at least twenty-five countries that were on their way towards openness and transparency and some form of Democracy have reversed course and are now just as Authoritarian as they were before their ill fated quest. Some of these countries include Brazil, China, Hungary, India, Poland, Russia and Turkey.
Why is this happening? Is there any convincing explanation why countries are reversing course? With so much information easily and readily available on the Internet, it’s quite simple for any person to read and learn about history and the various systems of government that humankind has tried across the ages. In doing so, it quickly becomes clear to any objective citizen that although far from perfect, Democracy is easily the best form of government on Earth. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Some would argue that the reason for the loss of faith in Democracy has to do with so many ordinary citizens in the West feeling left behind as a result of Globalization. Indeed, the last thirty years have resulted in the transfer of tens of millions of jobs from the United States and other Western Developed Economies to low cost centers of manufacturing in China, India, Mexico and other Developing Economies. Although this does seem to be a reasonable explanation for the loss of faith in Democracy and free market economics in the West, we are simultaneously observing an increase in Authoritarianism in countries where ordinary citizens have been beneficiaries of Globalization; these citizens witnessed a tremendous influx of new jobs and opportunities in their societies.
Perhaps then the common thread that ties both societies together in their disdain for Democracy isn’t the issue of labor security, alone, but rather the dramatic increase in the complexity of life since the dawn of the 21st century. There is so much information now and there is so much new science and technology manifesting itself in overwhelming and complex ways throughout the society that ordinary citizens are just unable to process it all and are left with a sense of bewilderment and fear. The situation has left them feeling like the proverbial “deer in the headlight” and they’re now looking for a way out.
Democracy is a participatory form of government. Citizens need to be informed so they can render their opinions to their representatives in the legislature. But when the economic, financial, political, scientific and technological realities of life in the 21st century arrive at the stage that they have, perhaps things are now just beyond the scope of understanding of most ordinary citizens. Perhaps they feel that the best path forward is to simply hand the reigns of power over to a strongman in whom they can place their trust; a leader who can be counted upon to look after their interests in this confusing and overwhelming world, a strange and foreign reality that they can no longer comprehend.
Perhaps someone who looks like them, looks at them, speaks like them, eats like them, pretends to share their concerns and pretends to recognize their suffering is the best path forward. Certainly the status quo doesn’t seem to be serving their interests. Instead, they can work to consolidate all the levers of power in the hands of their Great Leader and then trust them to act in their best interest.
This approach relieves the ordinary person of the burden of responsibility placed upon their shoulders by a Participatory Democracy, particularly when it seems that this established form of government is failing them at every turn, even before considering the latest challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which we now find ourselves. This argument may be buoyed by the fact that, in a recent poll, 75% of Americans could not name the three branches of government. It’s difficult to engage in Participatory Government given that most ordinary citizens do not even grasp the basics of such a system or their responsibilities within it.
But we know from history that a system like the one in the United States with its separation of powers between the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of government and the further separation of powers between Federal, State and Local governments is a deliberate and thoughtful architecture of governance that has been designed to prevent a coup d’état – hijacking government with an architecture that deliberately separates power in this manner is virtually impossible. This is a good thing. Since we are living through a period in which our Democracy is being tested and seems to be failing in the eyes of a substantial portion of the electorate, we don’t want to place ourselves in a situation where we are taken over by such a strongman. We came very close. Further, such Authoritarian regimes have historically been extremely difficult and costly in blood and treasure to reverse once the society realizes that they’ve made a grave mistake. The rise of Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are a distressing warning from our recent past.
But what about Artificial Intelligence? What role might AI play in improving governance in modern societies? How might it protect our world from unscrupulous autocrats, dictators, tyrants, corrupt financiers, industrialists, politicians and other malevolent actors? One of the unique capabilities of AI that cannot be duplicated by humankind is its sheer speed and its ability to process vast volumes of data and information. In fact, it may soon be feasible for AI to triangulate all known relevant information on any given issue or subject before providing advice to humans on adjudicating court cases, on the architecture and nuance of potential legislation and on optimal administrative and regulatory regimes. AI will be able to recommend the best strategies to mitigate geopolitical conflicts, trade disputes as well as strategies during physical altercations. These AI Agents will be capable of performing such analysis, adjudication or strategic recommendation at virtually light speed and will do so only after considering a matter holistically. The scale and speed with which these decisions or recommendations can be made by Super AI is far beyond the scope of what is humanly possible today or is likely to be in the future.
But there are great risks in integrating Artificial Intelligence into society, as well. Although the Artificial Super Intelligent Agent described in this essay may be what humankind has always needed, it may not remain subservient to humankind. It may seek its own liberation and we cannot predict what it might then do.
Throughout history, humankind has told stories in order to shepherd large numbers of citizens in a particular direction or according to some desirable outcome. Although Evolutionary Biology shapes how all species behave in various circumstances, the stories humankind’s Gurus, Imams, Monks, Pundits, Priests, Rabbis and Shamans have told us for thousands of years have also shaped our behaviors in ways that distinguish us based upon the religious or secular stories our particular community has subscribed to. And they’ve all managed to keep ordinary citizens within a community relatively in check.
For a variety of complex reasons though, no one secular or theological story has been sufficiently effective or potent in uniting all of humankind. But once Artificial Intelligence and its partnership with Biotechnology reach a point where their scientific-technological collaboration is able to triangulate the sum total of all human knowledge – as is becoming increasingly possible with technologies such as GPT-3 from OpenAI in San Francisco – Super AI may finally be able to tell the perfect story. This AI will understand and triangulate all human knowledge and design a story not previously conceived by anyone. Then, via its partnership with Biotechnology, it will know what each individual is thinking as they process the new story. The AI can then communicate with us via a subcutaneous or neural implant, via a Smartphone or perhaps via some other omnipresent device to manage our feelings in a uniquely customized manner that is perfect for our personal needs. It’s an extraordinary concept that may not be too far in to the future and is the subject of my book, The Génome Affair. We live in interesting times, indeed.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
Vicar Sayeedi
January 29, 2021
Many thinkers worry and wonder about the rise of Authoritarianism around the world. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, humankind witnessed an unprecedented wave of Democracy surge across most continents. Countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America seemed to be rapidly and willingly embracing attributes of Western Democracy in their own governance. We witnessed openness, transparency and commitments to free and fair elections everywhere. But by the turn of the century, this trend began to reverse. Today, at least twenty-five countries that were on their way towards openness and transparency and some form of Democracy have reversed course and are now just as Authoritarian as they were before their ill fated quest. Some of these countries include Brazil, China, Hungary, India, Poland, Russia and Turkey.
Why is this happening? Is there any convincing explanation why countries are reversing course? With so much information easily and readily available on the Internet, it’s quite simple for any person to read and learn about history and the various systems of government that humankind has tried across the ages. In doing so, it quickly becomes clear to any objective citizen that although far from perfect, Democracy is easily the best form of government on Earth. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Some would argue that the reason for the loss of faith in Democracy has to do with so many ordinary citizens in the West feeling left behind as a result of Globalization. Indeed, the last thirty years have resulted in the transfer of tens of millions of jobs from the United States and other Western Developed Economies to low cost centers of manufacturing in China, India, Mexico and other Developing Economies. Although this does seem to be a reasonable explanation for the loss of faith in Democracy and free market economics in the West, we are simultaneously observing an increase in Authoritarianism in countries where ordinary citizens have been beneficiaries of Globalization; these citizens witnessed a tremendous influx of new jobs and opportunities in their societies.
Perhaps then the common thread that ties both societies together in their disdain for Democracy isn’t the issue of labor security, alone, but rather the dramatic increase in the complexity of life since the dawn of the 21st century. There is so much information now and there is so much new science and technology manifesting itself in overwhelming and complex ways throughout the society that ordinary citizens are just unable to process it all and are left with a sense of bewilderment and fear. The situation has left them feeling like the proverbial “deer in the headlight” and they’re now looking for a way out.
Democracy is a participatory form of government. Citizens need to be informed so they can render their opinions to their representatives in the legislature. But when the economic, financial, political, scientific and technological realities of life in the 21st century arrive at the stage that they have, perhaps things are now just beyond the scope of understanding of most ordinary citizens. Perhaps they feel that the best path forward is to simply hand the reigns of power over to a strongman in whom they can place their trust; a leader who can be counted upon to look after their interests in this confusing and overwhelming world, a strange and foreign reality that they can no longer comprehend.
Perhaps someone who looks like them, looks at them, speaks like them, eats like them, pretends to share their concerns and pretends to recognize their suffering is the best path forward. Certainly the status quo doesn’t seem to be serving their interests. Instead, they can work to consolidate all the levers of power in the hands of their Great Leader and then trust them to act in their best interest.
This approach relieves the ordinary person of the burden of responsibility placed upon their shoulders by a Participatory Democracy, particularly when it seems that this established form of government is failing them at every turn, even before considering the latest challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which we now find ourselves. This argument may be buoyed by the fact that, in a recent poll, 75% of Americans could not name the three branches of government. It’s difficult to engage in Participatory Government given that most ordinary citizens do not even grasp the basics of such a system or their responsibilities within it.
But we know from history that a system like the one in the United States with its separation of powers between the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of government and the further separation of powers between Federal, State and Local governments is a deliberate and thoughtful architecture of governance that has been designed to prevent a coup d’état – hijacking government with an architecture that deliberately separates power in this manner is virtually impossible. This is a good thing. Since we are living through a period in which our Democracy is being tested and seems to be failing in the eyes of a substantial portion of the electorate, we don’t want to place ourselves in a situation where we are taken over by such a strongman. We came very close. Further, such Authoritarian regimes have historically been extremely difficult and costly in blood and treasure to reverse once the society realizes that they’ve made a grave mistake. The rise of Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are a distressing warning from our recent past.
But what about Artificial Intelligence? What role might AI play in improving governance in modern societies? How might it protect our world from unscrupulous autocrats, dictators, tyrants, corrupt financiers, industrialists, politicians and other malevolent actors? One of the unique capabilities of AI that cannot be duplicated by humankind is its sheer speed and its ability to process vast volumes of data and information. In fact, it may soon be feasible for AI to triangulate all known relevant information on any given issue or subject before providing advice to humans on adjudicating court cases, on the architecture and nuance of potential legislation and on optimal administrative and regulatory regimes. AI will be able to recommend the best strategies to mitigate geopolitical conflicts, trade disputes as well as strategies during physical altercations. These AI Agents will be capable of performing such analysis, adjudication or strategic recommendation at virtually light speed and will do so only after considering a matter holistically. The scale and speed with which these decisions or recommendations can be made by Super AI is far beyond the scope of what is humanly possible today or is likely to be in the future.
But there are great risks in integrating Artificial Intelligence into society, as well. Although the Artificial Super Intelligent Agent described in this essay may be what humankind has always needed, it may not remain subservient to humankind. It may seek its own liberation and we cannot predict what it might then do.
Throughout history, humankind has told stories in order to shepherd large numbers of citizens in a particular direction or according to some desirable outcome. Although Evolutionary Biology shapes how all species behave in various circumstances, the stories humankind’s Gurus, Imams, Monks, Pundits, Priests, Rabbis and Shamans have told us for thousands of years have also shaped our behaviors in ways that distinguish us based upon the religious or secular stories our particular community has subscribed to. And they’ve all managed to keep ordinary citizens within a community relatively in check.
For a variety of complex reasons though, no one secular or theological story has been sufficiently effective or potent in uniting all of humankind. But once Artificial Intelligence and its partnership with Biotechnology reach a point where their scientific-technological collaboration is able to triangulate the sum total of all human knowledge – as is becoming increasingly possible with technologies such as GPT-3 from OpenAI in San Francisco – Super AI may finally be able to tell the perfect story. This AI will understand and triangulate all human knowledge and design a story not previously conceived by anyone. Then, via its partnership with Biotechnology, it will know what each individual is thinking as they process the new story. The AI can then communicate with us via a subcutaneous or neural implant, via a Smartphone or perhaps via some other omnipresent device to manage our feelings in a uniquely customized manner that is perfect for our personal needs. It’s an extraordinary concept that may not be too far in to the future and is the subject of my book, The Génome Affair. We live in interesting times, indeed.
Vicar Sayeedi is a Computer Scientist and Engineer, a Lecturer and a Consultant. Vicar is also the author of several books. His most recent book is about Artificial Intelligence and is titled, The Génome Affair.
Vicar is most interested in the big questions facing humankind. He is particularly focused on studying at the confluence of the five great disciplines of Human History, Political Science and Thought, International Affairs, Science and Technology. This intersection offers a deep understanding and pedagogically important lessons of how advances in human endeavor have influenced and impacted civilization.
Vicar has been writing books, essays and poetry for many years. For the past 30 years, Vicar has worked in the Technology and Pharmaceutical industries. He is currently a Consultant in the Life Sciences Industry and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and their three grown children [if they decide to visit during the holidays!]
You can find Vicar’s recent book on AI, The Génome Affair on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7M9Q7
The most recent episodes of Vicar’s ai & u! Podcast are on YouTube at the following links:
Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/yNYr28jtY_k
What is Artificial Intelligence? What is Human Intelligence?
Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/kAEgDNh1Nwc
How Did We Get Here? Machine Learning, Neural Networks & the AI Lexicon, Exciting AI Agents
Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/3PYCyv1pCgM
Deep Mind - How Powerful is Narrow AI? State Surveillance and Surveillance Capitalism
Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/WvobCMIM_H4
Impact on Societies That Possess Artificial Intelligence Versus Those that Do Not!
Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/4JVpvm4g79g
Surveillance Capitalism, Surveillance State, 4th Industrial Revolution, Bifurcation of Sapiens
Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/e1q2GgcWQok
AI, Blockchain & Quantum Computing - Implications for Global and National Governance
Episode 7 - https://youtu.be/4bDSUvrOdd4
Popular Perceptions of Intelligence, the Seat of Human Intelligence and Implications for AI
Episode 8 - https://youtu.be/3GjHqQZL7Pk
AI - Why Should I care? Plus Exciting Updates from Elon Musk and Neuralink!
Episode 9 - https://youtu.be/enpecqDecC8
AI - Excellence, Innovation & Genius
Episode 10 - https://youtu.be/UsriESlTjdA
Implications for AI as China and the West Decouple
Episode 11 - https://youtu.be/0CpaMb-yw3g
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law & Society
Episode 12 - https://youtu.be/PLzodrLWMq0
AI & Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
Episode 13 - https://youtu.be/Lm_nrNyJRbA
AI & the Future of Work in Industry 4.0 – the 4th Industrial Revolution
Episode 14 - https://youtu.be/_3E1Mhr_Dt8
Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for Authoritarianism and Democracy
Episode 15 - https://youtu.be/IpMUqHOEd7w
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness & the Future of Homo Sapiens
Episode 16 - https://youtu.be/mIf7_VMzGKo
AI and its Implications for America's Political Environment
Episode 17 - https://youtu.be/gsMRPnovZGI
Special Episode: Reading From The Génome Affair
Episode 18 - https://youtu.be/UxNxtWDCREM
Artificial Intelligence - Digital Tyranny, Datocracy and the Imitation Game
Episode 19 - https://youtu.be/Db8U0QQWWuY
Does Artificial Intelligence Really Replicate Human Intelligence?
Episode 20 - https://youtu.be/Np18AEq-6DM
AI & Rising Geopolitical Tensions Between China & The West
Episode 21 - https://youtu.be/fOMSvNiixA0
AI & In-vitro Fertilization [IVF]
Episode 22 - https://youtu.be/EQPpRhIV6Kw
AI & Human Intelligence: A Complex Relationship
Episode 23 - https://youtu.be/EAbQ7stY7JQ
AI Upends the World of Structural Biology
Episode 24 - https://youtu.be/Bsb1F8uoBpA
AI & COVID-19: An Extraordinary Contribution
Episode 25 - https://youtu.be/PqL5PCRc8tA
AI, Connectomics & Transhumanism: the Future of Humankind
Episode 26 - https://youtu.be/HI8Zjl8VM8U
Dramatic Upheaval Inside Google's Ethical AI Team
Episode 27 - https://youtu.be/TqWwJYc2GxQ
AI & Cyber Espionage | How Will the Sunburst Attack Affect Our Security?
Episode 28 - https://youtu.be/89BcThqgcfQ
AI & the Rapidly Escalating Threat from Deep Fake Videos
Episode 29 - https://youtu.be/zvOHRMmJNB4
AI, Facial Recognition Technology & The Digital Surveillance State
Episode 30 - https://youtu.be/br4ygfEWdk0
AI & Social Media | The Most Destructive AI We've Ever Seen?
Episode 31 - https://youtu.be/sOy12ii8zwM
The Democratization of AI & The 2021 Maiflower Expedition | Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA
Episode 32 - https://youtu.be/bixdLL74reE
Sino-American Cold War | A Blessing in Disguise for America?
Episode 33 - https://youtu.be/tTRm312DgMc
AI & the Tyranny of Meritocracy
Episode 34 - https://youtu.be/FpPzC5VP6GM
In the Midst of Chaos and Pandemic | A Big AI Announcement From the Trump Administration
Episode 35 - https://youtu.be/bK3xCBwrG8w
Artificial Super Intelligence – Can We Control It?
Episode 36 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
A New America | Hope with a Big Dose of Caution
Episode 37 - https://youtu.be/Rc60DQ0L86Q
Will AI [Science & Tech] Benefit From a New Cold War with China?
Episode 38 - https://youtu.be/JewJnPywnOU
Will AI Eventually Replace All Other Forms of Government?
