WHAT IS IT?
Microsoft President warns Orwell's 1984 could 'come to pass' in 2024. Microsoft president Brad Smith has weighed in, stating that advances in artificial intelligence capabilities recall Orwell's cautionary dystopian novel, which envisioned a surveillance state ruled over by an all-seeing technology-enabled dictator.
WHY IMPORTANT
China plans a smart city project that promises to essentially put artificial intelligence in charge. The city project, which is advertised as being all about efficiency and citizen comfort, would be run by AI, meaning a system would keep a tab on all citizens' habits and preferences.
That project recalls a quote from Orwell's 1984 that states, "the choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better." Will citizens of Terminus' smart city project happily hand over their data to an AI-run state in the name of comfort?
