The Download: what social media can teach us about AI

Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and a fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. A decade ago, social media was celebrated for sparking democratic uprisings in the Arab world and beyond. Now front pages are splashed with stories of social platforms' role in misinformation, business conspiracy, malfeasance, and risks to mental health. Today, tech's darling is artificial intelligence. Like social media, it has the potential to change the world in many ways, some favorable to democracy.