AI, Philosopher Kings, and the Antichrist: Big Tech’s Assault on Democracy

Author: Theodore Grekin

Field of Study: Undeclared

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 105

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: The 21st century has seen Big Tech’s meteoric rise in which it has become the most important, influential industry. Their technology, especially AI, has been widely noted for its potential and current uses in technoauthoritarian regimes like China, but the US’s corporate and capitalist structure gives way to unique dangers. This paper reviews the words and rhetoric of tech leaders such as Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Alex Karp, that show strong illiberal tendencies and a disdain for liberal democracy. This paper will then examine the specific dangers that their technology poses to the principles of liberal democracy through its favoring of centralization. Other literature has paid interest to technoauthoritarianism from the governmental side, but this paper will spotlight and explain the grave risk non-governmental technoauthoritarians and technoauthoritarian institutions pose to democratic institutions.