Outstandingly brave of you. Thank you for doing your civic duty in revealing this existential threat. The good news is that AI chips aren't organic matter. While humanity still has control of the physical world we must decide to forbif AI chips from being developed or fabricated in factories until we can get some international laws.
Wow. How plausible is it that we can create movements to ditch smart phones and social media so they can’t track us? It seems the only viable solution.
I feel like there is almost a 0% chance of humans ever giving up a tool or technology once they're reliant on it. However, I am very curious how more articles such as this, and more individuals like the author becoming disillusioned with this kind of work being used by companies like Palantir, will increase public knowledge on these topics and create a market for "more ethical" alternatives.
It seems as is the case with most big businesses, we're unlikely to see a truly ethical AI company succeed and reach enough users to outperform the competition, but all a company has to do is offer a slightly more ethical alternative. Once consumers begin to spend money or use the more ethical alternative, it puts pressure on competition to change their practices. In this case, a company would only need to provide even slightly more privacy and freedom from the algorithm than it's competition to get a leg up.
I feel like COSTCO capitalizing on simply offering an alternative to the anti-DEI movement, or even the sudden influx of users from places like Reddit to Substack are great examples of this. I am almost 100% sure both of these companies have other practices that probably make them far from ideal, but you can still get a significant number of consumers to switch from other companies by offering a slightly better alternative. I actually switched to Substack for that very reason, but I do dislike the algorithm control here, and not having the option to sort feeds based on recently added vs top comments. I also read the other day the creators of this platform have ties to Musk. I'll try to find that post and link it here.
I don't know anything about business/marketing, but I hope there is a field already studying the psychology behind profiting on ethical alternative. Obviously it's not ideal, but realistically I think it is probably our only hope against these gigantic corporations (especially as related to tech and AI) that will push their own agendas until financial pressure forces them to do otherwise. If anyone sees this comment and is aware of any blogs that cover this sort of thing please let me know.
Dump X (building a social control credit score) & all socials. Start a local currency. Hold silver (if you can afford to). Buy local. Dump the TV. Befriend farmers.
We are trying to shut the barn door after the horse has already bolted. About twenty years ago when phones began to intermediate everyday tasks and consumers were not in a position to protect themselves from unrealized and intrusive technology, someone should have required programmers to have a professional license to practice. When a knowledge and skill set is held in the hands of a few experts and that skill set can be used to harm people who rely on these experts, we require them to adhere to a set of ethical principles so that they can be disciplined and/or lose their ability to practice their skills. The marketplace will not discipline these experts should they hurt consumers, see this article for examples.
Just as a lawyer takes an ethical oath not to take advantage of a client's trust, as a doctor takes an oath to 'do no harm', programmers should take an ethical oath. When they cannot work without a license because their peers will take away their license, they will program ethically, despite whatever goodness or badness is in their heart of hearts.
Professional licenses help employers too because they know their competitors' programmers are not going to unethically program either. Because business is driven by profits, even if the business has the capacity to do the right thing, it won't because if its competitors are doing the wrong thing, then it will have to do so also in order to stay competitive.
You have to force business to be pro-social. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but capitalism operates on a spectrum of anti-social to amoral to sociopathic. Unless there is a referee, market participants are going to cheat and they are going to exploit and harm humans. I would like to see governments make the push for professional ethical codes and licenses for the tech industry. Even if it fails, the push would perhaps wake consumers up enough they can take steps to protect themselves.
Well of course government isn't perfect. However, the difference in its mission statement gives us more to work with than the mission statement of business. The profit directive creates a conflict with the public good. On the other hand, government is a public service. Its mission is aligned with the public good. Capitalism is fine as far as it goes. However, I would much prefer government regulating business than vice-versa.
Excellent piece, just exactly the kind of informed presentation on the current use of AI in military applications. Great focus on its simultaneous rollout as all-purpose convenience-thingie/plaything and deadly killing apparatus.
"Now I fear Palantir’s involvement in ICE deportations could help scale one of the most terrifying and ambitious projects of mass resettlement in human history." Sorry, lost me here. These illegals do not belong in the US, send them back and save our tax payer money. No more handouts, we can't take care of the entire world my dude
I am ready to #takeonthiel and feel that it's time to creatively protest Palentir and Anduril and all of Thiel's other companies to make his employees think twice about working there, to bring their work out of the shadows, and to ultimately hit Thiel in the wallet.
You are one brave dude. Thank you for this. In the UK we are trying to get Palantir out of the NHS and anywhere else. In light of Palantir using private medical data to pass onto ICE for deportation purposes and the UK veering to the right, we'll be arriving at the same place unless we get shut of these psychopaths.
Plus I also just saw the video you made for MPU - great work also.
Well done JSP, you're doing great things to detail the more sinister aspects of Palantir et al.... which now I come to think of it, is all of it. Being an insider adds more credibility to the info in the eyes of the public, I feel.
Outstandingly brave of you. Thank you for doing your civic duty in revealing this existential threat. The good news is that AI chips aren't organic matter. While humanity still has control of the physical world we must decide to forbif AI chips from being developed or fabricated in factories until we can get some international laws.
Andy you are out of your mind.
I was happy to discover that blocking Andy removed all of his comments from my sight when I refreshed the page.
genocide is the willful destruction of a people...like what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians...there is no other right word.
When MSF calls it Genocide, lemme tell you, it's genocide.
Wow. How plausible is it that we can create movements to ditch smart phones and social media so they can’t track us? It seems the only viable solution.
I feel like there is almost a 0% chance of humans ever giving up a tool or technology once they're reliant on it. However, I am very curious how more articles such as this, and more individuals like the author becoming disillusioned with this kind of work being used by companies like Palantir, will increase public knowledge on these topics and create a market for "more ethical" alternatives.
It seems as is the case with most big businesses, we're unlikely to see a truly ethical AI company succeed and reach enough users to outperform the competition, but all a company has to do is offer a slightly more ethical alternative. Once consumers begin to spend money or use the more ethical alternative, it puts pressure on competition to change their practices. In this case, a company would only need to provide even slightly more privacy and freedom from the algorithm than it's competition to get a leg up.
I feel like COSTCO capitalizing on simply offering an alternative to the anti-DEI movement, or even the sudden influx of users from places like Reddit to Substack are great examples of this. I am almost 100% sure both of these companies have other practices that probably make them far from ideal, but you can still get a significant number of consumers to switch from other companies by offering a slightly better alternative. I actually switched to Substack for that very reason, but I do dislike the algorithm control here, and not having the option to sort feeds based on recently added vs top comments. I also read the other day the creators of this platform have ties to Musk. I'll try to find that post and link it here.
Here it is if you’re interested: https://substack.com/@davetroy/note/c-93259630?r=5783cf
I don't know anything about business/marketing, but I hope there is a field already studying the psychology behind profiting on ethical alternative. Obviously it's not ideal, but realistically I think it is probably our only hope against these gigantic corporations (especially as related to tech and AI) that will push their own agendas until financial pressure forces them to do otherwise. If anyone sees this comment and is aware of any blogs that cover this sort of thing please let me know.
Dump X (building a social control credit score) & all socials. Start a local currency. Hold silver (if you can afford to). Buy local. Dump the TV. Befriend farmers.
This is the scariest thing I've read for a long time, and these days that's saying a lot. Thanks very much for this!
We are trying to shut the barn door after the horse has already bolted. About twenty years ago when phones began to intermediate everyday tasks and consumers were not in a position to protect themselves from unrealized and intrusive technology, someone should have required programmers to have a professional license to practice. When a knowledge and skill set is held in the hands of a few experts and that skill set can be used to harm people who rely on these experts, we require them to adhere to a set of ethical principles so that they can be disciplined and/or lose their ability to practice their skills. The marketplace will not discipline these experts should they hurt consumers, see this article for examples.
Just as a lawyer takes an ethical oath not to take advantage of a client's trust, as a doctor takes an oath to 'do no harm', programmers should take an ethical oath. When they cannot work without a license because their peers will take away their license, they will program ethically, despite whatever goodness or badness is in their heart of hearts.
Professional licenses help employers too because they know their competitors' programmers are not going to unethically program either. Because business is driven by profits, even if the business has the capacity to do the right thing, it won't because if its competitors are doing the wrong thing, then it will have to do so also in order to stay competitive.
You have to force business to be pro-social. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but capitalism operates on a spectrum of anti-social to amoral to sociopathic. Unless there is a referee, market participants are going to cheat and they are going to exploit and harm humans. I would like to see governments make the push for professional ethical codes and licenses for the tech industry. Even if it fails, the push would perhaps wake consumers up enough they can take steps to protect themselves.
Well of course government isn't perfect. However, the difference in its mission statement gives us more to work with than the mission statement of business. The profit directive creates a conflict with the public good. On the other hand, government is a public service. Its mission is aligned with the public good. Capitalism is fine as far as it goes. However, I would much prefer government regulating business than vice-versa.
Excellent piece, just exactly the kind of informed presentation on the current use of AI in military applications. Great focus on its simultaneous rollout as all-purpose convenience-thingie/plaything and deadly killing apparatus.
Thank you.
This is an extremely important exposure of what is being done to us now.
"Now I fear Palantir’s involvement in ICE deportations could help scale one of the most terrifying and ambitious projects of mass resettlement in human history." Sorry, lost me here. These illegals do not belong in the US, send them back and save our tax payer money. No more handouts, we can't take care of the entire world my dude
First they came for the immigrants, and I did not speak out because I'm not an immigrant....
They'll come for you eventually - the immigrants are the battle-tested part.
I am ready to #takeonthiel and feel that it's time to creatively protest Palentir and Anduril and all of Thiel's other companies to make his employees think twice about working there, to bring their work out of the shadows, and to ultimately hit Thiel in the wallet.
The coming of a dystopian night mare…a revelation of the endgame that we, as American citizens cannot allow to come to pass…
Way more than 75,000 dead. There are 306,000 dead and only 8,000 were fighters. 97% of the dead were civilians.
How do we escape?
Don't consume tech. If you have to have it, get it de-Googled and protected. Old tech or DIY for tech anarchists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_F4rEaRduk
You are one brave dude. Thank you for this. In the UK we are trying to get Palantir out of the NHS and anywhere else. In light of Palantir using private medical data to pass onto ICE for deportation purposes and the UK veering to the right, we'll be arriving at the same place unless we get shut of these psychopaths.
Holy shit!!!
Thank you.
see you in stockholm - 14th june 2025 for the Bilderberg - there u will find a supportive cadre of journalists Jose....
Plus I also just saw the video you made for MPU - great work also.
Well done JSP, you're doing great things to detail the more sinister aspects of Palantir et al.... which now I come to think of it, is all of it. Being an insider adds more credibility to the info in the eyes of the public, I feel.