Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds- Book Review

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra

Genre: Non-fiction, Technology 
4.5 Stars 

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm. It’s the in-thing and a necessity in today’s world. Whether we know it or not, like it or not, AI is here to stay. But what does it mean to the common public? 

We know what AI is capable of in the industries. But is the same automation a boon in our lives? How does it affect our future generations? What about data privacy? What about letting a system take control over your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and every aspect of your life? What does it mean to third-world countries? Is India in a position to set terms, or are we destined to be enslaved by the global leaders again, albeit in the name of technology and digital colonization? 

The latest release, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra, discusses these topics and much more. 

When Indic Book Club sent me this book, I was happy and hesitant. My recent work has been based on the topics of AI and ML. I’ve been reading more and more about how AL, ML, NLP, DL, and NN are going to revolutionize industries. This couldn’t have come at a better time.

However, I was hesitant to read the book because I knew it would look at the topic from the other side of the spectrum. Imagine writing a blog promoting AI and then reading how artificial intelligence makes humans idiots.

Yet, my recent knowledge helped me understand the book in more detail. I could see what the author wanted to explain and show to the reader. This book has a lot of concepts with only limited answers. But the answers are subject to change if the government decides to wake up and understand the seriousness of the situation. 

The book has been divided into five categories-

• AI and Economic Development and Jobs (unemployment due to AI is not a myth or a distant reality)
• AI and Global Power (How the US and China are fighting for domination) 
• AI and Psychological Control and Agency (Surveillance capitalism, Data Rights, and Moronization of the masses)
• AI and Metaphysics (Algorithm vs. the Being) 
• AI and India’s Future (right now, there is very little to cheer about) 

Intelligence vs. Consciousness 

The author talks about how machine learning algorithms are capable of mimicking human emotions to influence and manipulate the masses. That doesn’t mean the systems are conscious or emotional. It only means that the algorithm is pragmatic and smart enough to fine-tune itself based on the constant feedback received and mimic humans in many ways. 

One example of this is how virtual assistants and chatbots listen to (read) employees' complaints and offers personalized and emphatic solutions. They are literally replacing the L1 support staff in the IT departments and managing the employee grievances in the HR department. 

Now apply the same theory to social media algorithms. The platforms have enough control over us to manipulate our views and mold them accordingly. This leads us to the next question-

Who Decides What’s Normal?

Why do the giants collect and process so much data? They sure aren’t doing us any favors, though they claim to be selfless. Everything we share about us is used against us. Simple. The author highlights this multiple times in the book. It’s ultimately about power politics. 

A platform that champions free speech decides what’s free speech and what’s not. How is that possible? But it is being done. They have the best end of the deal:

•  Data  
• Control
• Surveillance
• Political power

We have hardcore capitalists preaching socialism while filling their vaults with billions. So who’s losing here? 

When Facebook tells you that our post violates their standards, but another post in the same vein is acceptable, what does it show? Is the algorithm faulty? Is the person who created the basis for the algorithm biased? Are your views are political inclinations opposing the views of the platform owners? 

What do you have to do to continue using the platform? Abide by the rules, obviously. And what happens to your freedom of speech here? When you can question the government for it, why can’t you question a mere social media platform? 

The Devastating Cycle 

This is one aspect that very few people are willing to talk about. The main concern over adopting AI is that it will take away jobs. The famous assurance is that it will also generate jobs, and the companies will train the employees to use the AI systems. 

Do you really think that’s easy? When an MNC invests a huge amount of money in adopting AI, do you think it will spend a similar amount to retrain its employees and pay them higher salaries? Since when did the competitive, ruthless organizations become social workers? 

The answer is clear for those who want to see. Automation reduces low-level jobs. AI creates mid to high-level jobs. Why would a company train a daily worker for the job of an AI specialist with higher qualifications? 

That leads to job loss, which, in turn, leads to a lack of purchasing power. And that would mean that the goods produced by automation will not have enough sales unless the ultra-rich buy them in hoards. 

This results in a self-destruction cycle where AI finally ends up sabotaging itself. But by then, the gap between the poor and the elite would be so wide that breaching it will be impossible. With masses of poor and a handful of powerful rich, we are back at the beginning, where the kings ruled the lands. The fate of the poor lies in the hands of the superrich. Sounds too familiar, isn’t it? AI is not changing anything, per se. It is only increasing the contrast and emphasizing it. 

AI and India- What will Happen to Us?

The US is way ahead in terms of AI. China is no exception. In fact, China has bet its entire future on AI. What about India? We are, sadly, at the bottom of the table. All our so-called knowledge and intellect have gone into building data systems for other countries. Our data is bartered to import AI technology that could have been developed within the country. 

The author doesn’t shy away from calling a spade and spade and pointing out that the politicians, in their usual political games and appeasement refused to even consider AI as a game-changer, let alone a threat to the nation. 

The author points out how our laws are outdated and ineffective when it comes to protecting data. Imagine handing over a credit card and pin number to a neighbor with no formal agreement that the card and the money in the account belong to you and not them. 

The author’s analysis and fears are valid when he says that India is at the risk of being recolonized (digitally) because the capitalists want money and the politicians want votes. He does give us some relief when he mentions that there is still hope if the top people acted now and planned for the long term rather than for immediate results. 

Reimporting

The author shows five examples of how India, no thanks to the short-sighted policies, has ended up with a raw deal. 

• Green Revolution- Adopting foreign methods for excess production and now importing traditional Indian organic farming systems from other countries again. 
• White Revolution- Breeding non-Indian cows for excess milk and now tying up with Brazil to get back the Indian breed of cows. 
• Pink Revolution- Excessive meat production, followed by the global countries looking at vegetarianism and veganism that have since long belonged to ancient India. 
• Health and Wellness- Adopting foreign medication with the side effects and ignoring Ayurveda as the world is not looking at natural healing that has been a part of our culture for ages.
• Linguistics- Ignoring Sanskrit only for the current generation employees to use the language in developing computational systems and models in foreign countries. 

The author also talks about the identity vacuum that is an inherent part of most Indians. We neither belong to our tradition nor do we fully associate with the American world. When the basis for both is contrasting, how can someone from one culture identify with another culture? But that’s where we are, creating a pool of pseudo gangs that don’t belong anywhere. 

Conclusion 

(I know my review is quite long) 

Overall, this book is informative and terrifying. That makes a must-read, even though it might give you sleepless nights. A small consolation is that the author says he is working on the next book, where he provides solutions to the problems listed in this one. I hope it comes out soon and the people who make decisions read and understand it. 

****

This review has been posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club hosted by the Indic Book Club and Indic Academy. Thank you, Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book. 

****

P.S: If you are wondering about the rating, I deducted 0.5 because the book is quite big and someone with limited reading and concentration span will not be able to complete it, though it is critical that they should.