Soros Warns China Uses AI to Find Threats to One-Party Rule
Soros Warns China Uses Algos to Find Threats to
One-Party Rule
THIS CONTENT WAS PUBLISHED JANUARY
25, 2019 6:02 AMJAN 25, 2019 - 06:02
(Bloomberg) -- Billionaire George Soros warned
of the “mortal danger” of China’s use of artificial intelligence to repress its
citizens under the leadership of Xi Jinping, whom he called the most dangerous
opponent of democracies.
“The instruments of control developed by
artificial intelligence give an inherent advantage of totalitarian regimes over
open societies,” the 88-year-old said on Thursday at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland. “China is not the only authoritarian regime in the world
but it’s undoubtedly the wealthiest, strongest and most developed in machine
learning and artificial intelligence.”
The former hedge fund manager said China is
developing a centralized database that will use algorithms to determine whether
a person poses a threat to the one-party system. While the so-called social
credit system is not yet fully operational, “it will subordinate the fate of
the individual to the interests of the one-party state in ways unprecedented in
history,” Soros said.
“I find the social credit system frightening
and abhorrent,” he said. Soros drew a distinction between Xi and the Chinese
people, saying the latter remain a main source of hope.
Criticizes Putin
At the Davos conference last year, Soros
lashed out at social-media giants Facebook Inc. and Google. He compared them to
gambling companies that foster addiction among users and said that they exploit
the data they control. Soros on Thursday reiterated the need to regulate
technology firms while authoritarian regimes declare theirs as “national
champions.”
“That’s what has enabled some Chinese
state-owned companies to catch up with and even surpass the multinational
giants,” he said.
In his speech, Soros touched on subjects
including his childhood, running a hedge fund and his efforts to protect human
rights. He spoke at length about China, criticizing Xi and the nation’s “One
Belt, One Road” infrastructure project as self-serving. He also called out
Russian President Vladimir Putin as another enemy of democracy.
“I’ve been concentrating on China but open
societies have many more enemies, Putin’s Russia foremost among them,” Soros
said.
Soros has become an lightning rod for his
political views and philanthropic efforts. A longtime supporter and financial
backer of progressive causes and Democratic politicians, he’s become a target
of right-wing activists. In October, an apparent explosive device was
discovered at his suburban New York home.
In 2011, Soros closed his hedge fund and
converted his firm into a family office -- investing solely on behalf of
himself, his family members and the Open Society Foundations, a worldwide
network of philanthropies.
--With assistance from Vincent Bielski and
Chad Thomas.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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