AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Erosion of Rights : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Erosion of Rights

(Abusing Artificial Intelligence for suppressing genuine dissent

of citizens amounts to undermining their Rights)

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Telangana Today (01-08-2024)

By and large, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-savvy professionals, for instance, astrologers, instead of illustrating horoscope charts by using an almanack, prefer computerized, ready-made charts for which familiarity rather than professionalism is enough. Prolonged rigorous training under a teacher (guru) for acquiring professional skills in fields like mathematics, pure sciences, astrology, Vaastu, astronomy and literature is now substituted by the click of a mouse. This inevitability even extends to fields like engineering, movie production and medicine. AI algorithms are now extensively used in analyzing medical imaging data, diagnosing patients and even robotic surgeries. Telugu Avadhanis adopting AI to augment their skills could be a reality soon!

Quite a few books featuring dystopian themes depicted human nature outside the normal structure of the state and society. About 55 years ago, the late Dr AP Ranga Rao, a voracious reader, presented me with a few books on this subject for reading, including The Time Machine, Brave New World, 1984, Future Shock and The R Document. The framework, perception, theme, and significance of these dystopian-themed books are flawlessly relevant to the prevalent AI-powered scenario in several aspects. ‘Kalki Movie’ Director-Producer shrewdly struggled cloning an established ‘Dystopian Theme’ but in vain.

Wells’ Vision

The Time Machine by HG Wells, published in 1895, is about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveler who travels approximately 8,00,806 years into the future. Wells’ vision of a distant future where technology has dramatically altered society echoes with today’s ponderings about the longstanding impacts of AI and other emerging technologies. The book depicts the potential consequences of technological advancement either in achieving great progress or in leading to violence and intellectual stagnation. The inherent ‘social theme’ indicates social division and the digital divide.

Huxley and Freedom

The science fiction novel Brave New World, published in 1932 and authored by Aldous Huxley, foresaw a world that included space travel, private helicopters, genetically engineered test tube babies, etc. It is thus set in a futuristic world characterized by technological advancements, rigid social hierarchy, and the absence of personal freedoms. Human cloning through multiple embryos from a single egg, enabling mass production of uniform groups of individuals, is the key characteristic in this book. These embryos are incubated to undergo ‘genetic engineering’ and conditioning to fit into predetermined ‘social classes’ or ‘social hierarchy’ and intelligence levels, categorized as Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons. Social castes are reinforced with genetic alterations.

Alphas hold leadership positions. Epsilons are used for menial tasks. Though the test-tube baby term was not explicitly used in the book, Huxley’s concept became a reality on July 25, 1978, 46 years after the book was published. Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, was born in Britain. Robert G Edwards, the consultant physiologist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010. The fiction explores themes of individuality, freedom, and the cost of a technologically advanced but dehumanized society, ethical issues related to the manipulation of human intelligence and free will, etc.

Orwell’s Big Brother

Indian-born George Orwell, the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, in 1984, published in 1949, thematically brought out the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and repressive regimentation of people and behaviors within society, leading to manipulation of truth and information and loss of individual freedom. The author cautioned citizens that they should allow their governments only limited power. Orwell depicts the evils through the slogan ‘Big Brother is watching you’ to explain how people are subjected to constant surveillance to ensure authoritarianism. The book underscores the importance of freedom, privacy, and resistance in the face of oppression. The present-day rise of AI-driven surveillance technologies and their extensive abuse in media are Orwell’s themes.

Toffler and Wallace

Rapid technological and societal change, information overload, psychological and social effects of accelerated change, etc. are the key themes in Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock, published in 1970. Today’s technology-based AI may be cited as a perfect example of this accelerated change that Toffler predicted. Toffler’s concerns about information overload and social impact are also highly relevant in the present-day context.

The R Document, a political and legal thriller by Irving Wallace published in 1976, revolves around the idea of a government conspiracy to abolish civil liberties in the name of national security. and recounts a secret coup d’état by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to void the Bill of Rights, and assume power in USA. It explores themes of power, control, and resistance. In today’s AI context, this book is broadly relevant as it depicts the potential for abuse of technologies by governments or powerful entities. The narrative underscores the tension between security and freedom (CC Cameras) in Surveillance, law enforcement, and national security. Some feel that Wallace got the theme after Indira Gandhi declared Emergency in 1975 since the book was published a year later.

Shocks and Control

Rapid technological and societal change discussed by Toffler in Future Shock aligns with the sophisticated control systems in Huxley’s Brave New World, where technology essentially shapes every aspect of life, leading to potential ‘shock’ if individuals cannot adapt quickly enough. Huxley’s world is seen as a possible evolution of the societal divisions explored by Wells in The Time Machine. The intelligence-based neo-caste system in Brave New World reflects the technologically enforced formation of classes and categories, leading to a stage shaped by unequal access to AI and other technologies. 1984 focuses on control through fear and repression, and Brave New World uses pleasure and conditioning. Both reflect different dystopian outcomes of technological misuse, highlighting how AI could be abused to manipulate and control societies in contrasting ways.

In Huxley’s world, technology is used to control and condition the population, akin to AI and data analytics that are used today to influence behaviour and decisions. AI’s rapid development may lead to societal stress and disorientation, as predicted by Toffler. It has the potential to widen social and economic gaps, creating a state where access to and control of technology determines societal roles, as envisioned by Wells. The advancement of AI in surveillance and data collection brings Orwell’s vision of a monitored society closer to reality. The Aadhaar-based cybercrime is one such danger.

Presenting visions of societal transformation driven by technology is common theme in these books. Disorienting Pace of Change in ‘Future Shock,’ Speculation on the long-term evolution of society in ‘The Time Machine,’ Warning of Authoritarian Control in ‘1984’, Depiction of pleasure-seeking controlled populace in ‘Brave New World’, Importance of Vigilance and Resistance against abuse of Powerful Technologies in ‘R-Document’ among other aspects explore how ‘Human Experiences are adversely Reshaped by Technology’ from psychological impacts and societal divisions to control and loss of freedom.

Each book has its own perspective on impacting present and future, highlighting the need for thoughtful consideration of social, and political dimensions of AI. They specially underscore ethical imperatives and implications of ‘Artificial Intelligence and Technological Advancements’ in today's society. In Essence, these books together and singly caution about the ‘Velocity of Change,’ potential for societal division, and the risks of authoritarian control, all of which are highly relevant as individuals navigate the future of AI and technology.

More important is, ‘Abusing Artificial Intelligence’ for controlling, and suppressing ‘Genuine Dissent of Citizen’ amounts to ‘Erosion of Rights.’

(The author is an independent journalist)