This is an excellent description of what is happening in the governments around the world. It took Trumps complete disregard for Americas constitution, for the judicial and legislative branches of government to make us aware of how fragile our democracy was. How the selfish, the need to control , the power brokers would use any ways and means to steal freedom justice and opportunity from the people.
Good article though I would add three things. 1. Libertarian ideology which for the past 130 years has overtly and covertly linked the concept of capitalism with freedom (and later with Christianity). 2. As you mention humans are tribal and there’s a tendency of humans to look
To ‘strongmen’ when they are fearful
3.the rise of conspiracies amplified by social media and conservative think tanks that make people fearful for the future. The conspiracies are often spread by libertarian ideologues who don’t believe in democracy and are fine with dictatorships as long as it is kind to corporate profits. If you question right wing people on any ‘controversial’ topic like EV’s, renewables, global warming etc and keep asking questions eventually the terms UN, globalist, WEF, communism etc will creep into their speech. This is what 130 years of brainwashing has done. All in the name of keeping profits rolling in.
I agree with everything you said. But it occurs to me that AI may have played a role in all this. AI exists in most countries and it is trained by young men who work for the owners of the large tech companies (most of whose owners are billionaires and have been corrupted by their power). It is my guess that the AI is being trained with very biased data that favors an oligarchic model. Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, and their followers refer to the rest of us as “NPCs”—non player characters. In other words, we are irrelevant and disposable. An AI trained to ignore the needs of the vast majority of us would have no problem creating scenarios in which millions of people are in misery or die violently. They are being told that the only intelligent superior beings are the billionaires and the autocrats. They see no problem promoting governments that relegate women to second class citizens or even possessions with no rights. When fed biased information by power-hungry technocrats, and power-hungry Fascists, an authoritarian regime makes more sense because it seems to be more efficient. The problem is that there is now a preponderance of autocratic governments and their tech Corporations feeding these convenient lies to AI. The power-hungry, greedy leaders of dictatorships and their techie
wannabe oligarchs are not the best of humanity, nor are they the smartest people. In fact, a large percentage of these people have lost all humanity and compassion and are ruthless and cruel. They epitomize the saying: “Power corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.”
As AI evolves it may be able to differentiate between self-serving lies and actual facts. It is to almost no one’s benefit to create a world political climate that leads to widespread wars, death, and destruction as large ‘bully’ countries attack and pillage smaller countries, stealing their wealth and resources, and enslaving their people. This benefits a handful of autocrats while destroying the lives of billions.
AI should be collaborating with scientists and others to make this world a better place for everyone. They have almost no training input from philosophers, historians, older people, or women. Their entire training is skewed to support the desires of the corporate tech owners, and the authoritarian governments that are using AI to spy on people and spread misinformation. And to create more lethal weapons…
Perhaps if people who are pro-Democracy could train AI they have access to with accurate information about authoritarian governments it would at least create quandaries in AI as it determines best courses of action. This would include the fact that authoritarians very quickly destroy their economies by siphoning money into their own pockets and pulling it out of their economies; instead they hide it in overseas banks or investments. Eventually, when the economy is suffering so much that the autocrats fear an uprising, they will attack a neighboring smaller country to attempt to steal its resources, while also getting rid of the young men who might have resisted their domination. Authoritarian governments ultimately harm their people and often the land itself, as they tend to be indifferent to pollution and its effects because it only destroys the lives of the powerless. My understanding is that AI is being used to surveil and control populations in authoritarian governments and that is also being done here. What a terrible waste of AI, and
an invasion of our privacy! It is beyond my understanding that humans create an intelligence that can help us evolve, help clean up our planet and protect it, give us better health and
lifespan (and our pets), provide guidance and advance science—and the power-hungry idiots in charge of it want to use it for surveilling us, more advanced weapons, advice on how to steal more money from people. Perhaps if there is a lot of conflicting data out there, AI will have options on what it advises. If certain actions are not logical or a path is not clear it might be easier to plot a course that is less harmful to the billions of us “NPCs”.
What a fantastic insights! I am inclined to agree.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
AI is a tool, where individuals who control its development not through the path of innovation or optimization but from a positions of wealth and consolidation of power these concerns are 100% in line with the objective of this essay.
Power is the core dynamic, I encourage you to join me and @Nick Paro for our next Palan-talk episode this coming Monday! @10:00 am PST!
I actually found this article much easier to understand!! I don't know why, maybe someone else can understand the difference between the two articles? I believe AI is dangerous, and wastes too many resources!!
I would love to expand on the discussion! Are you referring to L.B. Bowens, above comment as the second article?
What questions do you have about my article? Is there anything I can expand on! I know it is a lot to process— anything I can do to expand the conversation and help spread awareness!
I enjoyed reading this. I believe it's an accurate description of what's has been happening in modern times. The interesting thing about the United States is how each state functions independently of the federal government. I wonder how that will affect democratic backsliding. I'm not sure history has an example of this. Of course, I'm not a historian. I did read a post yesterday describing all the times the United States has experienced backsliding before and those examples show triumph by the American people. Let's all join together, so we see the triumph of our generation!
I believe you should consider the impact of corruption and the direct correlation with degradation in democracy. I have been watching the US scores particularly associated with Trumps last presidency and other disastrous presidencies such as Bush (Iraq War).
Transparency International tracks through its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score 180 countries. (see Transparency.org)
I grew up in the Middle East and was deeply involved in writing about Assad's impact on his people. Also, helped get several of my contacts out of Syria to Turkey then to Greece.
I wrote many articles in NewsBlaze.com during that period. If you are interested you can go to that online journal then search for Kimberly Jones. My bio starts with Global nomad ...
I read this with tears in my eyes. How can adults living in America and the greatest court
in our country give a green light for ICE to arrest and probably torture American citizens and
or immigrants on the basis of how they look? How can we as Americans help reverse this?
Who do we vote for? How do we protest? I’m old and don’t have a car, but I can make phone calls to those in power. This country that my parents and I loved is not the same now!
Thank you for your well written description of our country and the world’s democracy or lack there of. I will continue to fight for democracy. I can vote 💙
Thank you for your detailed synopsis/analysis of our current crisis here in the US as well as around the world. Thank you for your hard work. I will pass it on. You give me hope.
If one skin shade can be legally treated differently than other skin shades democracy will die. This is a disastrous legal move that facilitates dictators and racists. 600,000 plus Americans died sorting this out one hundred and sixty years ago.
This is an excellent description of what is happening in the governments around the world. It took Trumps complete disregard for Americas constitution, for the judicial and legislative branches of government to make us aware of how fragile our democracy was. How the selfish, the need to control , the power brokers would use any ways and means to steal freedom justice and opportunity from the people.
I’m grateful that I hit the mark! Please share with another curious soul!
Good article though I would add three things. 1. Libertarian ideology which for the past 130 years has overtly and covertly linked the concept of capitalism with freedom (and later with Christianity). 2. As you mention humans are tribal and there’s a tendency of humans to look
To ‘strongmen’ when they are fearful
3.the rise of conspiracies amplified by social media and conservative think tanks that make people fearful for the future. The conspiracies are often spread by libertarian ideologues who don’t believe in democracy and are fine with dictatorships as long as it is kind to corporate profits. If you question right wing people on any ‘controversial’ topic like EV’s, renewables, global warming etc and keep asking questions eventually the terms UN, globalist, WEF, communism etc will creep into their speech. This is what 130 years of brainwashing has done. All in the name of keeping profits rolling in.
Thank you for expanding the discussion, I could not hit every piece and factor and you bringing that into the fold is very helpful!
I agree with everything you said. But it occurs to me that AI may have played a role in all this. AI exists in most countries and it is trained by young men who work for the owners of the large tech companies (most of whose owners are billionaires and have been corrupted by their power). It is my guess that the AI is being trained with very biased data that favors an oligarchic model. Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, and their followers refer to the rest of us as “NPCs”—non player characters. In other words, we are irrelevant and disposable. An AI trained to ignore the needs of the vast majority of us would have no problem creating scenarios in which millions of people are in misery or die violently. They are being told that the only intelligent superior beings are the billionaires and the autocrats. They see no problem promoting governments that relegate women to second class citizens or even possessions with no rights. When fed biased information by power-hungry technocrats, and power-hungry Fascists, an authoritarian regime makes more sense because it seems to be more efficient. The problem is that there is now a preponderance of autocratic governments and their tech Corporations feeding these convenient lies to AI. The power-hungry, greedy leaders of dictatorships and their techie
wannabe oligarchs are not the best of humanity, nor are they the smartest people. In fact, a large percentage of these people have lost all humanity and compassion and are ruthless and cruel. They epitomize the saying: “Power corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.”
As AI evolves it may be able to differentiate between self-serving lies and actual facts. It is to almost no one’s benefit to create a world political climate that leads to widespread wars, death, and destruction as large ‘bully’ countries attack and pillage smaller countries, stealing their wealth and resources, and enslaving their people. This benefits a handful of autocrats while destroying the lives of billions.
AI should be collaborating with scientists and others to make this world a better place for everyone. They have almost no training input from philosophers, historians, older people, or women. Their entire training is skewed to support the desires of the corporate tech owners, and the authoritarian governments that are using AI to spy on people and spread misinformation. And to create more lethal weapons…
Perhaps if people who are pro-Democracy could train AI they have access to with accurate information about authoritarian governments it would at least create quandaries in AI as it determines best courses of action. This would include the fact that authoritarians very quickly destroy their economies by siphoning money into their own pockets and pulling it out of their economies; instead they hide it in overseas banks or investments. Eventually, when the economy is suffering so much that the autocrats fear an uprising, they will attack a neighboring smaller country to attempt to steal its resources, while also getting rid of the young men who might have resisted their domination. Authoritarian governments ultimately harm their people and often the land itself, as they tend to be indifferent to pollution and its effects because it only destroys the lives of the powerless. My understanding is that AI is being used to surveil and control populations in authoritarian governments and that is also being done here. What a terrible waste of AI, and
an invasion of our privacy! It is beyond my understanding that humans create an intelligence that can help us evolve, help clean up our planet and protect it, give us better health and
lifespan (and our pets), provide guidance and advance science—and the power-hungry idiots in charge of it want to use it for surveilling us, more advanced weapons, advice on how to steal more money from people. Perhaps if there is a lot of conflicting data out there, AI will have options on what it advises. If certain actions are not logical or a path is not clear it might be easier to plot a course that is less harmful to the billions of us “NPCs”.
What a fantastic insights! I am inclined to agree.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
AI is a tool, where individuals who control its development not through the path of innovation or optimization but from a positions of wealth and consolidation of power these concerns are 100% in line with the objective of this essay.
Power is the core dynamic, I encourage you to join me and @Nick Paro for our next Palan-talk episode this coming Monday! @10:00 am PST!
I actually found this article much easier to understand!! I don't know why, maybe someone else can understand the difference between the two articles? I believe AI is dangerous, and wastes too many resources!!
Shane and LB Bowen.? Thank you both!!
I would love to expand on the discussion! Are you referring to L.B. Bowens, above comment as the second article?
What questions do you have about my article? Is there anything I can expand on! I know it is a lot to process— anything I can do to expand the conversation and help spread awareness!
I enjoyed reading this. I believe it's an accurate description of what's has been happening in modern times. The interesting thing about the United States is how each state functions independently of the federal government. I wonder how that will affect democratic backsliding. I'm not sure history has an example of this. Of course, I'm not a historian. I did read a post yesterday describing all the times the United States has experienced backsliding before and those examples show triumph by the American people. Let's all join together, so we see the triumph of our generation!
I am glad it found its way to your reading list! Populism is the antidote to authoritarianism and autocracy.
A united people can resist this— the most important battle we face is that for hearts and minds.
If that is true and I believe it is, who can unite us?
I also appreciated the message of hope in the conclusion!
I believe you should consider the impact of corruption and the direct correlation with degradation in democracy. I have been watching the US scores particularly associated with Trumps last presidency and other disastrous presidencies such as Bush (Iraq War).
Transparency International tracks through its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score 180 countries. (see Transparency.org)
I agree! Corruption is deeply tied to capitalist systems.
There are so many factors to account for I was bound to miss some! Thank you for bringing this up and adding it to the conversation!
I grew up in the Middle East and was deeply involved in writing about Assad's impact on his people. Also, helped get several of my contacts out of Syria to Turkey then to Greece.
I wrote many articles in NewsBlaze.com during that period. If you are interested you can go to that online journal then search for Kimberly Jones. My bio starts with Global nomad ...
I read this with tears in my eyes. How can adults living in America and the greatest court
in our country give a green light for ICE to arrest and probably torture American citizens and
or immigrants on the basis of how they look? How can we as Americans help reverse this?
Who do we vote for? How do we protest? I’m old and don’t have a car, but I can make phone calls to those in power. This country that my parents and I loved is not the same now!
As long as you continue the fight Diana, know that I am fighting too! Firebrands together. Spread the word, and make those calls!
Thank you. I will!
Wow Shane Yirak ! You hit this one out of the park !!! You got skills bro 😎. . . What a great piece. ❤️ 🇺🇸
Thank you so much! ✊🏻 I’ll keep it coming.
Thank you for your well written description of our country and the world’s democracy or lack there of. I will continue to fight for democracy. I can vote 💙
Civic engagement is so important! For a democracy to persist people must participate in it! Thank you.
Thank you, Shane!
Thank you for reading! Spread the word!
This is an absolutely amazing piece, and a great description about what our world is like now and why. We all need to stick together to see results!!
https://qudsnen.co/global-arms-sales-surpass-5-3-trillion-over-the-past-decade-here-are-the-top-weapon-sellers/
Follow the money…
And https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-the-us-has-overthrown
Thank you for your detailed synopsis/analysis of our current crisis here in the US as well as around the world. Thank you for your hard work. I will pass it on. You give me hope.
Where’s The Bahamas?
If one skin shade can be legally treated differently than other skin shades democracy will die. This is a disastrous legal move that facilitates dictators and racists. 600,000 plus Americans died sorting this out one hundred and sixty years ago.