Facebook is an AI-Platform that needs regulation

Last year's reports that some apparently well-funded Russian entities used Facebook to systemically disseminate fake news and seed widespread dissent during the 2016 U.S. elections is not only worrisome because of the damage that is being done to the democratic process, the impact on the credibility of social media and the overall trust in the Internet as a medium. It also shows how Facebook has – intentionally or inadvertently but lucratively, either way – built a gigantic manipulation machine that is run by algorithms (or dare we say'artificial intelligence'), not by people, and, crucially, not for people. Facebook – a company now valued at half a Trillion USD – has now emerged as the world's first AI-run media platform; as'asocial media'. Its purpose is no longer its users i.e. to'be human', rather, FB's purpose is itself. The tool has truly become the purpose (read McLuhan!), and we, the users, just exist to feed it – convenient fodder for the deep-learning algorithms whose only'mission' is to have us stay on the site or use the app as long as possible, or otherwise become addicted to the pleasure-trap that Facebook has so cleverly perfected.