AI Development Threatens Human Dignity and Interests Due to Lack of Democratic Control
Source: John Daniel Davidson. "AI Anxiety Is Real, And It Goes Way Beyond Data Centers." May 19, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that people are right to be worried about AI because the tech companies building it don't care about regular people's wellbeing. AI is being developed by elites who will benefit while ordinary people suffer job losses and other harms, and the technology is too powerful and unpredictable to be safely controlled.
Conclusion
The widespread deployment of artificial intelligence poses a fundamental threat to human dignity and interests because it is being developed and controlled by elites who do not prioritize ordinary people's wellbeing
Premises
- Public opposition to AI is widespread and legitimate, as evidenced by college graduates booing AI proponents and 70% of Americans opposing local data centers
- AI development primarily benefits tech moguls and wealthy elites while potentially making ordinary people worse off economically and socially
- AI systems operate with apparent autonomy and unpredictability, making them difficult to understand and control
- Current AI deployment has already caused serious harm, as demonstrated by the AI-assisted targeting error that killed 175 schoolchildren in Iran
- AI threatens to erode fundamental human capacities for truth, beauty, and processing reality
- The people building AI infrastructure do not have ordinary citizens' best interests in mind, as shown by their confusion when faced with public opposition
Assumptions
- Human dignity and the preservation of human-centered society should be the primary consideration in technological development
- Public opposition to new technology reflects legitimate concerns rather than mere resistance to change
- Technology that cannot be understood or controlled by humans poses inherent dangers
- Economic disruption from AI will disproportionately harm ordinary workers while benefiting elites
- The Catholic Church's moral authority provides valid guidance on technological ethics