The sixth richest man in the world pined for a future in which artificial intelligence is constantly monitoring the American people and replaces many aspects of the police.
Breitbart News reports:
Business Insider reports that during a recent Oracle meeting with financial analysts, Larry Ellison shared his thoughts on the future of AI-powered surveillance tools, painting a picture of a world where constant monitoring and reporting of citizens’ actions become the norm. Ellison, who ranks as the world’s sixth-richest man with a net worth of $157 billion according to Bloomberg, envisions a future where AI will be used to analyze data from various surveillance systems, including security cameras, police body cameras, doorbell cameras, and vehicle dashboard cameras similar to China’s social credit system.
While surveillance has been proven to curb bad behavior, it has also shown extreme potential for abuse — especially politically.
The Chinese credit score system ranks every Chinese citizen on a numerical scale based on how much the Chinese Communist Party trusts them. Anything from relatively minor offenses, like jaywalking or missing a dinner reservation, to major offenses, like violent crime and corruption, can affect the score. In 2023, it was uncovered that celebrating Christmas could lower citizens’ scores.
It should go without saying that criticism of the Chinese Communist Party is also has a detrimental impact on the scores of citizens.
When a score gets too low, citizens lose access to travel, and may also lose their employment.
Ellison insisted that AI surveillance could be used to improve policing, and root out bad apples.
“We’re going to have supervision. Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report that problem and report it to the appropriate person. Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”
There’s also an argument that the people that are in most need of constant tracking and surveillance (like criminals and the drug addicted and/or mentally ill homeless vagrants) won’t care about the consequences, while law abiding citizens will be stripped of their privacy.
Breitbart News continues:
The billionaire’s comments suggest a dystopian future where privacy becomes a luxury of the past, and the watchful eye of AI ensures that citizens adhere to a certain standard of behavior. This vision raises concerns about the potential abuse of such a system and the erosion of individual freedoms.
In addition to the all-encompassing surveillance, Ellison also foresees AI drones replacing police cars in high-speed chases. “You just have a drone follow the car,” he explained. “It’s very simple in the age of autonomous drones.” This statement further emphasizes the increasing role of AI and autonomous technology in law enforcement and public safety.
Oracle, like many other companies, is aggressively pursuing opportunities in the AI industry. The software giant already has several projects in the works, including a partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. As AI continues to advance and become more integrated into various aspects of society, the debate surrounding its ethical use and the balance between security and privacy is likely to intensify.
