Tech giants control over AI puts US democracy at risk - new report shows why

AI systems now affect every part of US life from loans to healthcare‚ but big tech companies keep their work hidden. New research shows how this hurts basic rights and democratic values

October 31 2024 , 10:17 AM  •  1070 views

Tech giants control over AI puts US democracy at risk - new report shows why

As US moves towards Nov-24 elections AI-powered tricks are getting more common - fake voice calls copy real politicians voices and AI-made pictures show up in campaign ads (which makes voting process less trust-worthy)

The real issue isnt just about elections; its about how AI affects basic rights. Big-tech companies (with lots of money and data) make AI systems that change peoples lives but dont tell anyone how these things work: its a non-democratic way of doing things

In todays world Mark ZuckerbergElon Musk and other tech-world leaders have more power than many government officials; they control data algorithms and super-computers that run AI. These companies dont follow the same rules as banks or TV stations even though they affect society just as much

Here are some real examples of how AI hurts people:

  • Black people got wrong arrests because face-scanning AI made mistakes
  • People who went to black colleges got higher loan costs from AI
  • AI health-check system missed women veterans who needed help
  • Poor people cant fight back when AI makes wrong choices about them

We must trust us to make AI safe for everyone

OpenAI CEO statement from company blog

Tech companies say theyll fix problems on their own; about 2 months ago twenty big firms promised to mark AI-made videos and stop fake news. But history shows self-control doesnt work - when money is involved good plans fall apart

The White House tried to help: last fall they made new AI rules that say government must test AI before using it. But these rules dont control private companies much and if Donald Trump wins next year he says hell cancel them

Washington needs to make real laws about AI but Congress keeps saying no; they think strict rules will make USA lose to China. This lets tech companies do whatever they want which isnt good for democracy or peoples rights