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Artificial Intelligence: More US Coercive Diplomacy
By Karsten Riise
Global Research, July 06, 2023

Url of this article:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/artificial-intelligence-more-us-coercive-diplomacy/5824838

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We already see 20% – 50% productivity growth from AI.

And we are still just 7 months after release of ChatGPT!

To develop, no country can be without AI.

Earlier this year, Mark Austin, the vice president of data science at AT&T, noticed that some of the company’s developers had started using the ChatGPT chatbot at work.

When the developers got stuck, they asked ChatGPT to explain, fix or hone their code.It seemed to be a game-changer, Mr. Austin said.

But since ChatGPT is a publicly available tool, he wondered if it was secure for businesses to use.So in January, AT&T tried a product from Microsoft called Azure OpenAI Services that lets businesses build their own A.I.-powered chatbots. AT&T used it to create a proprietary A.I. assistant, Ask AT&T, which helps its developers automate their coding process.

AT&T’s customer service representatives also began using the chatbot to help summarize their calls, among other tasks.“Once they realize what it can do, they love it,” Mr. Austin said. Forms that once took hours to complete needed only two minutes with Ask AT&T so employees could focus on more complicated tasks, he said, and developers who used the chatbot increased their productivity by 20 to 50 percent. See this.

Without AI, as I have said earlier, a country will become Stone Age. 

The US controls all the big AI models – other countries like India mostly build on US models.

The US controls the big data centers needed to run those models.

The US controls the advanced chips needed to build those big data centers.

This gives the US enormous opportunities for coercive diplomacy against ANY country which doesn’t jump when the US says “jump”.

We already see that start of US coercive diplomacy in AI and chips.

China was well underway with its AI model Wu-Dao 2.0 until the US sanctioned the advanced chips which China needs to build high-power data centers and develop its AI to an advanced state.

The US is also sanctioning China from buying the machinery needed to build its own advanced chips. And the US is of course also banning China from using US owned data centers to run its AI models.

China can still make “AI”, but only on a small scale for limited purposes. So we already have a whole chain of US coercive diplomacy working against China and – of course – Russia as well.

This is very important for the rest of the world, because with China out of the way (so to speak), the US creates a global monopoly for itself in AI and advanced computing.

Does your country trade “too much” with China? Do you trade with Russia or Iran at all? Do you not allow the US to send an “NGO” to criticize your government? Are you taking steps against US-backed “color revolution”? Do you not eagerly enough follow US orders?

Then the US may declare that your country is “a risk”.

Countries deemed a “risk” by the US may suddenly be restricted from the latest AI models – and even from using the most advanced US-owned data centers. And because the US has eliminated China from advanced AI and computing, your country cannot go elsewhere for your AI computing – you are controlled by the US.

This can have serious consequences for you. Already in two years, AI may be needed to manage your agriculture. Your companies will depend on AI for customer service, finance, and product development. Your government will depend on AI for tax collection, administration, and public services. And your military will depend on AI for intelligence and operations. This will all be ultimately controlled by the US.

You may think that your country is safe. After all, you are not at war with the US, are you?

But then look to what the US does to South Africa. What has South Africa ever done to the US?

Oh… that’s right. South Africa allowed Russia and China to participate in a naval exercise. How bad! South Africa is a member of BRICS too.

Such are the “crimes” of South Africa against the US. And South Africa is already being punished by the US for those “crimes”.

Because, incidentally South Africa depends on nuclear powerplants originally built by US companies, and South Africa needs US spare parts to keep running. And even without any official sanctions, the US “just stopped” giving export licenses for the sale of spare parts for South Africa’s nuclear power plants. There was no official American explanation for the embargo of US spare parts for nuclear power to South Africa – but it just “happened” to be at the same time at the US diplomacy heavily criticizes South Africa for its relations with China and Russia.

The result of this US coercion is that South African lives and the South African economy is being destroyed by black-outs in electricity supply from the nuclear power plants which the US has banned US companies from servicing.

Now, fortunately there are other countries which are clever in nuclear technology, so South Africa might find a solution with Russia about this. But AI is different. With China and Russia out of the way in AI, there will be none other than the US controlling AI.

Relying on US-controlled AI, your country can easily come into a predicament with US AI-restrictions over the next few years.

And it may be just as costly for your country – or even worse – than cuts in your electricity supply.

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Karsten Riise is a Master of Science (Econ) from Copenhagen Business School and has a university degree in Spanish Culture and Languages from Copenhagen University. He is the former Senior Vice President Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Mercedes-Benz in Denmark and Sweden.

He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from The Unz Review

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article.