Amnesty International has published a report on the state of human rights for 2023. There is a thread about artificial intelligence.
Amnesty International warns: beware of artificial intelligence!
Artificial intelligence has long been controversial. Many people say it may start taking people's jobs. But – according to Amnesty International – this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The organization indicates that Big Tech wants to fuel conflicts in societies. They are going to make a lot of money from this. Generative AI further helps them. How?
Let's start with the arms market. Technology companies do not only work on innocent programs for generating graphics or videos. AI is beginning to be used in armed conflicts. Recently, the Pentagon admitted that it is already testing F-16s piloted by computers, not people. It is not difficult to imagine what an advantage this will give to the country that masters this technology first.
The authors of the Amnesty International report also point out that AI may lead to even greater surveillance. Facial recognition systems based on it are already used, among others, in Argentina, Brazil, India and Great Britain. This gives governments and services even more power, may allow them to limit civil rights and make it easier to suppress social protests.
AI in information warfare
The organization also draws attention to the fact that artificial intelligence is used to spread disinformation.
An increase in posts targeting LGBT people or having an anti-abortion tone was recorded on X. These are issues that antagonize societies. And this may be related to the Big Tech business model, which is based on building behavioral profiles in social media.
Of course, AI can also be used by services. This may also be about antagonizing societies, as well as information warfare. This, in turn, may affect, among others: on electoral decisions.
However, the problem is not the technology itself, but its uncontrolled development. Countries should already at this stage create regulations that limit certain paths in which Big Tech can venture out. An example of positive action is what the Italian government is doing, which wants to criminalize the use of AI for criminal purposes.
