author: Angelika Kaldus
Microsoft's CEO: Orwell's 1984 May Come True as Soon as 2024
According to the president of Microsoft, the reality of George Orwell's 1984 may come true in just a few years, at least in terms of AI development.
- Brad Smith appeared on Panorama and said that if lawmakers don't enact solutions to secure the society in the future, George Orwell's vision could come true in 2024;
- Microsoft's president referred to China's use of artificial intelligence - if we are not careful, we will wake up in a world where every move of citizens is controlled by the government.
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, appeared on an episode of the British documentary program Panorama and warned of the dangers of not having legal restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence. According to Smith, George Orwell's scenario, presented in the famous dystopian novel 1984 could come to pass much sooner than we think. To prevent this from happening, legislators need to put the right safeguards in place before that happens.
The recent episode of Panorama discussed the increased use of artificial intelligence to monitor citizens by China. Smith said that if we don't put in place legal solutions to protect our society in the future, we could have a huge problem catching up with technological developments - not to mention the fact that we're not even keeping up with them these days. Microsoft's CEO warned others, saying:
“I’m constantly reminded of George Orwell’s lessons in his book 1984. You know the fundamental story…was about a government who could see everything that everyone did and hear everything that everyone said all the time. Well, that didn’t come to pass in 1984, but if we’re not careful that could come to pass in 2024. (...) In certain parts of the world, reality is increasingly catching up with that view of science fiction."
Four years ago, China announced that it wanted to become the dominant player when it comes to the development and use of AI technology as we enter 2030. Even now, more than 418 million CCTV cameras are expected to be installed in China (via Comparitech), accounting for more than half of the CCTV camera inventory across the globe. Also significant is the fact that in 2019, China surpassed the US in the number of patents for innovative AI technologies.
There are different voices in the discussion - some argue that democratic countries need to surpass the others, others suggest cooperation on creating global regulations. However, it is becoming apparent that the direction of AI development is causing fear in most people. For example, software engineer Laura Nolan told the BBC that she left Google after she found out that the company was working with the Pentagon on a project that was then used in conflicts in the Far East. "I felt like I had blood on my hands," she concluded.