Victims’ Revenge?

With politicos, tech bros, cryptos, and other billionaire scummers having gone all-in on the AI insanity game, what recourse will there be for non-violent resistance and protest against the tech-infused planetary plunder and genocide?

Will yachts the size of ocean liners or magnificent island hideaways or fortressed mountain retreats insulate the elite rapacious perpetrators from the billions of victims intent upon accountability or, at least, revenge?  

Will there be forgiveness for the unforgivable?  

A clip from a good article this morning at the Guardian:

. . . . The closing off of legitimate avenues to address public opposition to AI, as well as the feeling that the technology is being forced upon society, is creating what researchers describe as a gap in accountability that can further incentivize terrorism and political violence.

Donald Trump, in alignment with tech leaders, issued an executive order last year attempting to block any state-level legislation that would rein in AI development and has said that nothing will slow down the US in the global AI race. Tech billionaires are also pouring millions of dollars into lobbying and political spending in an attempt to prevent regulation of AI.

“When authorities are too busy, or just don’t care enough, to regulate and take action, then people affected are going to take action,” said Mauro Lubrano, a lecturer at the University of Bath and author of Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism. . . .

And then there are those like Molly Jong-Fast, who gave a commencement address last week at her alma mater, Bennington College.  She had this to say in a NYTimes op-ed just after. 

I hope her guarded optimism is warranted:

If I were to tell these graduates the truth about artificial intelligence, it would be this: You are right to be worried. But none of this is as inevitable as it seems. Remember putting everything on the blockchain? Remember NFTs? Hell, some of us are old enough to remember that the world was supposed to end in the year 2000.

Right now, A.I. is in its dark hype period — great for Anthropic’s I.P.O. — but who knows how useful any of this actually will be in the end in creating efficiencies (as in, replacing the young with bots). It’s within young people’s power to stop. Demand regulation of tech companies. Elect people who will legislate that regulation. Organize against data centers in your hometowns.

Don’t just boo — do something.