AI: How Big Brother is Getting an Upgrade

Greetings, wireheads and defenders of the last bastions of online freedom! It’s time to crack open a Club Mate and take a hard look at Artificial Intelligence — ’cause this ain’t your dad’s Pong game. AI’s got the potential to be the ultimate snitch, and the ultimate censor…all wrapped up in a shiny, supposedly “helpful” package.

The Personalized Propaganda Machine: You think those targeted feeds and curated recommendations are about finding you the good stuff? Think again. Algorithms are built on your every click, every scroll, every search. They ain’t there to expand your mind, they’re there to trap you in a feedback loop of your own biases.

Imagine a world where disagreement ain’t even an option. Your timeline becomes a wasteland of folks spouting the same tired talking points, with real debate shoved into the furthest corners of the dark web. Welcome to the echo chamber on steroids, where the only “ideas” you encounter are ones some bot thinks you’ll buy. This ain’t progress — it’s mind control.

Deepfakes and the Death of Truth: Thought dodging the censors and speaking truth to power was tough before? Try it when they can fake videos to make you seem like a lunatic or a traitor. Deepfake tech, powered by AI, is getting scary good. Pretty soon, that clip of a politician ranting about alien lizard overlords? Could be 100% legit, or a fabrication cooked up in some troll farm’s basement.

How do you even have a real debate when the very idea of reality is up for grabs? How do you rally support when a perfectly forged video can undermine a cause or tank an election in the blink of an eye?

AI Snitchware for the Surveillance State: countries are already blazing this dystopian trail with its “social credit” system. AI analyzes everything you do, rating your worth as a citizen. Behave the way the Party likes? Travel perks and good jobs for you! Criticize the government online? Prepare to be an outcast, chum.

Think this can’t happen in our good ol’ nations? Think again. The establishment is already using facial recognition tech, and it ain’t hard to imagine AI getting wired into that matrix to create a full-blown surveillance machine that makes Big Brother look like an amateur.

So, what’s a hacker to do? Here’s your survival toolkit:

• Obfuscate and Anonymize: Don’t make it easy for ’em to track you. Use TOR, use VPNs, ditch those “smart” devices that are snitching on you 24/7. If they can’t build a profile, the AI has less to work with.
• Learn the Code Lurking Behind It All: Don’t be a passive user. Understand how algorithms operate, even at a basic level. Knowing how you’re being manipulated is the first step to counteracting it.
• Old-School Tactics STILL Matter: Zines, radio, meetups in the real world…the tools of dissent are as old as dissent itself. Don’t get so wired in that you forget the power of analog resistance.
• Find Your Tribe: There are still folks out there fighting for free speech and true democracy. Seek them out, network, and support their projects. We’re stronger together.

The future ain’t written yet. AI could be a liberating force, or it could be the perfect tool to turn us into docile sheeple, unable to think critically or challenge the status quo. The choice is ours, so let’s make sure those machines work for US, not the other way around.

Originally published at https://www.cuscusaws.com on March 27, 2024.