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Cover image for AI is our New Drugs Epidemic!💊
Bartolomeo Hart
Bartolomeo Hart

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AI is our New Drugs Epidemic!💊

The similarities between artificial intelligence and drugs aren't what most people expect, let alone think about.

The Path Of Least Resistance

Drug transactions🤝

Any human and animal behaviour is fundamentally just a transaction within brains where effort is traded for rewards.

Drugs exploits this wired human behaviour, transforming it into a vulnerability, offering instant gratification for actions that require minimal friction. Users trade their longterm wellbeing for immediate pleasure, damaging not only themselves but also our society in the process. At the same time, traders and traffickers are going up and beyond to provide access.

Learning from past failures

Decades of drug prevention efforts have shown that neither strict enforcement nor complete legalization offers perfect solutions. The “War on Drugs” demonstrated that just banning drugs doesn’t fix the real problems, and in some cases made things worse. Drug users and gangs always find new ways to keep going.

Why? Because using, trading and trafficing is stupidly easy! The barrier to entry is low, while the shortterm individual rewards are high.

AI crime transactions🤑

This pattern isn't unique to drug use, trading or trafficking but also other various addictive behaviors, and AI usage is following an alarmingly similar trajectory. AI is becomming THE favorite ingredient in a cybercriminal's cookbook. The parallels are:

  • Low barrier to entry due to low cost and required technical knowledge
  • Minimum effort due to ease of use, scaling and automation
  • High reward potential
  • Global reach

There's just one slight problem, or actually, two. First, borders in the digital realm are blurry and far easier to bypass. Second, it might even be easier than dealing drugs. Think about it: we live in an age where 12 year olds are rug pulling adults using memecoins and probably know more about technology than 70-80% of the population.

So what will stop people from cooking some late night snhacks using AI?🍜 Good question…

The Path Forward

More questions:

  • How do we regulate these intelligent systems without slowing down innovation?
  • How do we control AI development without sacrificing all of our privacy and freedom?
  • What role should people, tech companies and governments play in prevention?
  • Should AI development require licensing, similar to controlled substances?
  • Is it even possible to develop systems that guards us from AI powered attacks?

The hard truth

History shows us that preventive measures against drugs have largely failed. The same challenge faces AI because we cannot control what we cannot see. 

Possible solution(s)

  1. In my opinion, the solution leans towards full transparency rather than prohibition. Just as drug abuse flourishes in shadows, AI misuse will thrive in obscurity. 
  2. We need to start asking more question, collectively, and more frequently.
  3. Utilizing tools and processes such as blockchain and transaction identification.
  4. More importantly, we should be very cautious.

Caution

While organized crime poses an obvious threat, we must be equally cautious about corporations, and governments who might exploit AI's capabilities behind closed doors.

Rules can be bent and sometimes are, benefiting those who create them, and whoever makes the rules has the most power.

In the realm of AI, this power dynamic becomes even more critical, where those in power will be able to control the future and every digital transaction and interaction.

control

"Be cautious who you give power to" - John McAfee

https://linktr.ee/bartolomeohart

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