Artificial intelligence threatens freedom more than jobs

Pessimists on the left tell us the unfolding revolution in mobile supercomputing, intelligent robotics, self-driving vehicles and the like will eliminate most middle class jobs, relegate the masses to waiting on tables and drive inequality to unconscionable dimensions. Don't worry, invest in a skills-based education and you will still be able to find good paying work -- the real threat is to your private thoughts and conscience. All these innovations are driven by artificial intelligence. Computer programs that can collect and process huge amounts of data at lightening speeds and most importantly, independently learn -- modify their own algorithms to better accomplish assigned goals. They can perform tasks as simple assembling and dispatching your next Amazon Prime shipment or as complex as providing your prospective in-laws with a detailed assessment of your future earnings prospects, political views, winning virtues and troubling faults.