A computer, even when programmed with AI, has no soul.
It’s a machine. It runs software. Any “ethical code,” is determined by a “director.” I won’t say programmer, because you’ll think of some nerd in a basement somewhere. The director is the person or entity in charge of the machine.
As a result the ethics of the machine lies in the contract on which its creation was based. In the case of Palantir this is a military contract. The military to which the machine is delivered is the director. In the case of a Palantir civilian contract, client ethics should count, because they’ll be held responsible for mistakes, but I’m guessing most pass that to Palantir the way you sign off on your EULA.
In the case of the major cloud providers — Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Amazon — the ethics in question are those of the company, and the ethical responsibility rests there. But the legal responsibility will rest with the customer. If the Big Tech vendor says, “sorry sport,” only the largest customer has any recourse.
This is the era we suddenly find ourselves in. Our lives are controlled by software that has no soul, which is controlled by a corporation or a government, and now the government is controlled by a corporation.
The political machine behind Trump is literally a machine. A machine that has no soul.
Peter Thiel’s Soul
As I have written here, Peter Thiel won the 2024 election. This means Peter Thiel will control the government. It’s his machine.
Anyone who thinks the dementia patient taking the oath will control the minutiae of America’s vast enterprise, or thinks he even has a clue as to what he’s walking into, needs their head examined.
There’s a long tradition of American power being wielded behind the scenes by a political operative, going back to Mark Hanna and the McKinley Administration. What’s new is that Thiel is foreign-born, and few have analyzed what he stands for.
Thiel’s influence, like the campaign, all exists “below the line,” that is, out of sight. What Americans will see are the Christianist Right leaders getting their way on legislation and social policy. They’ll see the Wall Street crowd getting their way on economic policy. They’ll see neo-isolationists getting their way on foreign policy.
They won’t see Thiel. He may not even visit the White House. He’ll call, or text, or e-mail those whose orders he wants changed, and they will do his bidding.
Creating a Machine Soul
China looked dead and buried as a tech power under Biden. It’s rising again because its government has control over the soul of its machines. China’s government can control the machines, and through the machines its people. China has an answer to the ultimate question Americans have yet to ask.
This is the system Thiel is building for us. The only way for democracy to stop him is for Democrats to build their own machine, and their own permission structure, that can break through the Fox bubble whenever conservative voters become confused or upset over the impact of stupid policies on their lives. As I said the other say, we need a political machine, a media permission structure, and a new attitude to have any hope of success.
I don’t see answers coming, because we’re not asking the right question. The ultimate question is the one China has answered. Who should control the soul of AI, and how? Creating a democratic answer to that question will take time, but best get to it.
