A personal essay argues that AI products developed by billionaires pursuing surveillance and weaponry embed ideological assumptions, particularly around eugenics and normativity, making them inherently political rather than neutral tools. The author expresses moral distress that colleagues treat these technologies as potentially meritorious despite their developers' explicit support for authoritarian policies targeting marginalized groups.
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas' on artificial intelligence echoes Daft Punk's artistic journey from robot personas to humanistic expression, warning against losing human dignity as AI becomes increasingly capable of mimicking human qualities like conversation, creativity, and emotion.
The article argues that AI benefits wealthy people disproportionately because they can afford premium subscriptions and models without budget constraints, allowing them to experiment freely and access better-quality services. Rich individuals can also leverage AI for tasks enabled by their existing resources, like customizing homes or creating multiple experimental projects, while lower-income users face strict limits and lower-tier models.
Carl Sagan's 1988 essay argues that the US and Soviet Union should unite against shared existential threats—climate change, ozone depletion, nuclear weapons, and disease—rather than each other. Published in Parade and Ogonyok magazines, the essay contends that technological advancement without long-term foresight has created unprecedented planetary dangers that transcend Cold War divisions.