Should Britain Show Humility to Big Tech?

😡 I’ve woken up angry! 🤬

Please read this and tell me if you agree—or if not, why not!

Apparently, Britain should show a sense of ‘humility’ to technology companies because they now wield power equivalent to most nation states.

This isn’t a wild tweet from Elon Musk.

It’s the view of Secretary of State for Business, Industry and Trade, Peter Kyle.

😠 One of the infuriating things about Kyle’s pronouncement is that he’s partly right. Technology companies do have ludicrous power.

💰 They can invest at a scale that buys them a growing slice of our future economy (and natural resources).
📣 They run mega lobbying operations.

But the problem extends far beyond classic corporate dominance.

🧠 The Power of Our Data

These companies harvest and utilise our data to gain unparalleled insight into human behavior. Right now, they mostly use it to sell ads. But let’s connect the dots - they adds up to panoptican-like powers:

📍 Our location data
💬 Our social media feeds
💳 Our spending habits
🏥 Our health data
📸 Access to all our photos and videos
🎙️ A listening device in our living room

🤔 Should We Really Bow to Silicon Valley?

Recent events in the US have placed Britain in a sticky spot with technology policy. But are we okay with our leaders bowing down to the bros of Silicon Valley?

Their track record isn’t exactly glowing when it comes to democracy:

☠️ Their products poison the public sphere
💢 They intensify the worst of human nature
📊 They extract billions from our data while creating addictive platforms for kids
🔗 They pursue monopolistic practices that harm healthy capitalism

And when faced with these charges, their leaders mostly shrug.

🤷‍♂️ What Big Tech Has Failed To Do:

❌ Take responsibility for the content they host, unlike traditional media.
❌ Invest properly in keeping users safe.
❌ Present a vision for humanity that doesn’t reduce us to machines.

🤖 Now They’re Selling Us AI

These same companies are now selling AI technologies to governments. The pitch?

💵 Savings
⚡ Efficiency
📈 Growth

But…where’s the evidence?

👨‍💻 Anyone familiar with public sector IT knows:
• Using AI effectively will be difficult.
• Fixing our outdated systems will take time and money.

📊 Anyone familiar with bureaucracies knows:
• While we dream of AI freeing doctors to spend more time with patients, the reality is likely far messier.

🔥 So, are we really okay with handing over the keys to the future to companies whose track record on democracy, safety, and fairness is so abysmal?