Human and artificial intelligence in capitalism

Henryk A. Kowalczyk
DataDrivenInvestor
Published in
14 min readApr 16, 2020

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© Wojciech Ignaciuk

The surprising benefit of becoming old is in finding out that issues that intrigue and often scare younger generations are not unique at all. They are modern variants of previous experiences. In the 1960s, electronic brains excited and awed the public no less than artificial intelligence does now. I studied what now we would call computer technology, but my diploma shows that my degree is in mathematical machines. People who were frightened of the technology they could not grasp gave those fancy names to what for us today is nothing more than helpful tools.

Today, artificial intelligence is regarded by many as a threat to our democracy and personal well-being. Shoshana Zuboff, a professor emerita from Harvard, is one of the leading figures voicing this opinion. She invented a new, scary term, “surveillance capitalism,” and wrote a book about it. Nowadays, capitalism does not have a good reputation, to begin with; hence, her theory spread all over media like fire. If someone missed it, a thoughtful review is here. Let us focus on her screed “ You Are Now Remotely Controlled,” published recently by the New York Times.

How we ended up with such an advanced civilization

Professor Zuboff’s writings reveal that she is among those many who distrust capitalism in general. She worries…

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