We continue our discussion about artificial intelligence and its impact on democracy. In this episode, we focus on AI's impact on equality and the competition between societies, some democratic, some not.

Can we still meaningfully speak of equality of rights and representation among people, if AI-based systems discriminate against minorities or the underprivileged? How do the known biases inherent in AI systems translate to democratic politics? 

 

Even more fundamentally, what does equality even mean when AI contributes to massive power imbalances between the companies running and developing AI and everyone else, including the government? 

 

To some commentators AI might also provide an opportunity for autocracies to get a leg up on democracies in the detection and solution to societal and political challenges. Traditionally, democracies were seen to be better at soliciting information about the state of their societies or the effects of interventions compared to autocracies. This information benefit was seen as one reason for democracies being able to outperform autocracies. AI might offset this benefit and allow autocracies to pass democracies by.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
00:29 - Artificial intelligence and equality
08:31 - Artificial intelligence and power shifts between societies
17:53 - Artificial intelligence and democracy: The road ahead
23:38 - Conclusion

Script to episode with references and further readings:

http://digitalmedia.andreasjungherr.de/docs/ai/ai_section3.html