'Alarming' misuse of AI to spy on activists, journalists 'under guise of preventing terrorism': UN expert

AGI, while powerful, could have negative consequences, warned Diveplane CEO Mike Capps and Liberty Blockchain CCO Christopher Alexander. A United Nations expert warned about an "alarming" trend of "using security rhetoric" to justify "intrusive and high-risk technologies," including artificial intelligence, to spy on social rights activists and journalists. U.N. expert Fionnuala Ní Aoláin called for a moratorium on AI development, among other advanced technologies like drones, until "adequate safeguards are in place," according to a March 2023 report that was presented to the Human Rights Council. "Exceptional justifications for the use of surveillance technologies in human rights'lite' counter-terrorism often turn into mundane regular use," Ní Aoláin said in a statement after the report's release. Without meaningful oversight, she argued, countries and private actors can use AI-power tech with impunity "under the guise of preventing terrorism." Fionnuala Ní Aoláin called for a moratorium on AI development, among other advanced technologies, until "adequate safeguards are in place."