Whether you're a technologist, policymaker, or simply an interested citizen, this publication will bring you a few perspectives on the implications of the evolving AI technology for democracy, human values, and your well-being.
Since both AI and democracy are (or should be) participatory in nature, understanding these perspectives will hopefully contribute to a higher engagement in the evolution of both. The diagram below ties together all the essays in the publication and with that participation in mind, YOU are in it!
I have been a citizen of four countries, one of them a dictatorship at the time I lived there. While that wider perspective is always present, my focus here is on U.S. issues. I am often judgmental about things that seemingly go haywire here in the U.S., especially the mismatch between economic opportunity, the highest in the world, and human happiness, which has been trending in the opposite direction.
To a large extent, this publication is about possible ways of enlisting AI to remedy that mismatch. Despite the off-putting (and mostly negative) hype around it, I believe that AI gives us a unique opportunity to get democracy right and fix that mismatch in the process. Yes, I know this sounds utopian and it will not be an easy task to bring you on board.
Why subscribe?
You do not have to subscribe. All the essays are free to read. The only difference is that if you choose to subscribe, future updates will go directly to your inbox and you will not miss anything. I anticipate that these updates will be infrequent.
I know that one of the laws of writing here on Substack is to follow a consistent schedule, but, likely, I will not obey that law. My main motivation is not about developing writing skills (although I would love it if it happened), but about getting feedback from readers and continuously refining the publication.
It would help you (and me, if you choose to participate) to look at the publication as a research project, rather than a literary endeavor.
About the author, Adrian Zidaritz
A personal view on AI: I am not a signatory to any of the calls to slow AI down, and I am not worried about AI’s existential threat to humanity. But I certainly respect the opinions of those who are. I will gladly share with you their concerns because one theme of this publication is that participation in AI, just like participation in a democracy, requires citizens to more carefully construct their own opinions.
A personal view on democracy: I do worry about something else though. Having been a citizen of four countries and having experienced the ills of autocratic governance, I know that mixing autocratic governance with AI is bound to be painful. I am now watching the U.S. teetering at the edge of that autocratic trap, despite all its strongly democratic traditions. I have three children and five (soon six) grandchildren and I’d like to see that trap being avoided a bit longer.
Career: Worked in Mathematics (PhD, University of California Berkeley), Computer Science (MSc, Polytechnic University of Bucharest), Software Engineering, and Data Science. The notes I kept through the years have been the source for the Artificial Intelligence, Dreams and Fears of A Blue Dot website. It can be technical at times, but you may want to refer to it if something about AI in the publication seems odd; the website has a Glossary of Terms at the end. A link to the AI-Blue-Dot website is up in the top menu.
Currently: Founded the nonprofit SD-AI (Stronger Democracy through Artificial Intelligence). SD-AI will take a long time to get off the ground, especially given the current political polarization in the U.S. and the upcoming November elections. At SD-AI, we wish to create a community of people who will research, design, and develop AI systems to strengthen our democratic institutions, and in that process make AI work for all of us. My work here on Substack, combined with your feedback, will have direct benefits to the work at SD-AI. A link to the SD-AI website is also up in the top menu.
Links to my various social media profiles are here and a personal website is here. A short clip about aibluedot.com follows.
I chose to publish on both Substack and Medium because both are containers of excellent thinking and I hope their thinking is contagious. I have not yet decided what goes where, but I have a hunch that my essays here will be more philosophical and foundational while my articles on Medium will be more political and therefore more controversial.
