Societal, Economic, Ethical and Legal Challenges of the Digital Revolution: From Big Data to Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Manipulative Technologies

TL;DR

The paper discusses the profound societal, economic, ethical, and legal impacts of the digital revolution, emphasizing the need to protect human dignity and democratic principles amidst rapid technological advancements like AI and manipulative technologies.

Contribution

It highlights the critical crossroads society faces due to digital transformation, advocating for participatory decision-making over coercive or manipulative approaches.

Findings

Digital revolution transforms society and economy

Risks include erosion of autonomy and democracy

Need to defend human dignity and participatory decision-making

Abstract

In the wake of the on-going digital revolution, we will see a dramatic transformation of our economy and most of our societal institutions. While the benefits of this transformation can be massive, there are also tremendous risks to our society. After the automation of many production processes and the creation of self-driving vehicles, the automation of society is next. This is moving us to a tipping point and to a crossroads: we must decide between a society in which the actions are determined in a top-down way and then implemented by coercion or manipulative technologies (such as personalized ads and nudging) or a society, in which decisions are taken in a free and participatory way and mutually coordinated. Modern information and communication systems (ICT) enable both, but the latter has economic and strategic benefits. The fundaments of human dignity, autonomous decision-making, and democracies are shaking, but I believe that they need to be vigorously defended, as they are not only core principles of livable societies, but also the basis of greater efficiency and success.