Chatbots calling the shots? Prime minister’s recent AI confession forebodes a brave new world of governance

In their co-authored best seller “Dark Future,” Glenn Beck and Justin Haskins predicted a day when global leaders would rely on artificial intelligence to help them govern nations.

Just two years after the book’s publication, their premonition has already come true. Earlier this month, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted in an interview with the Swedish business newspaper “Dagens Industri” that he frequently uses AI tools, such as ChatGPT and LeChat, to seek “second opinions” on policy decisions.

Before proposing or enacting a new policy, Kristersson asks AI chatbots questions like, “What have others done? Should we think the complete opposite?” says Haskins, adding that the PM also utilizes AI platforms to conduct research and bounce ideas around.

But it’s not just him. “In the interview, he says … his colleagues in the legislature are also doing this exact same thing. They’re using AI as sort of an adviser,” he tells Glenn.

While Kristersson swears up and down that he doesn’t blindly follow ChatGPT’s advice or share sensitive information with the database, there are still “huge problems” with his reliance on AI.

Haskins believes Sweden isn’t actually the first country to use artificial intelligence in governance; it is just the first to admit it. “I guarantee that American politicians are using it all the time,” he says, warning that “this is going to be a huge problem moving forward.”

Glenn, who regularly uses artificial intelligence as a tool, says that Kristersson’s AI usage isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself.

The real concern, he says, is “what comes next.”

Glenn foresees a day when AI is valued above and trusted more than human intuition, intelligence, and experience. “That’s when you’ve lost control,” he warns.

“That’s exactly right,” says Haskins, “and how do you argue against something’s decision when that something is smarter than literally everybody in the room?”

“And it’s learned how to lie,” adds Glenn.

Haskins agrees, noting that current AI systems “lie all the time.” It’s not uncommon for users to report that various AI systems make up information, invent sources, and skew hard data.

“It’s feeding you what it thinks you want to hear,” says Glenn.

While it’s true that human beings are also capable of lying and manipulation, artificial intelligence is a far greater threat because it can “manipulate huge parts of the population all at the same time,” says Haskins.

Further, “[AI] doesn’t necessarily have the same goals that a human would have. As it continues to grow, it’s going to have its own motive, and it may just be for self-survival,” adds Glenn.

“That’s the world that we’re already living in. … It’s not hypothetical,” sighs Haskins.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video above.

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