Totalitarianism

Advances in artificial intelligence in areas such as lie detection, social persuasion and deception, autonomous weapons, and ubiquitous surveillance could entrench existing totalitarian regimes. These developments may also cause democracies to slide into totalitarianism.^[6] On the other hand, AI could conceivably destabilize totalitarian systems or protect against their emergence.^[7] To this date, no detailed analysis exists of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the risk of robust totalitarianism. The literature on robust totalitarianism in general is itself very small.^[8] Research in this area is thus

Evaluation

80,000 Hours rates risks of high expected value.robust totalitarianism a "potential highest priority area": an issue that, if more thoroughly examined, could rank as a top global challenge.^[9]10]

1. ^{^}

   Mussolini, Benito (1932) 'La dottrina del fascismo', in Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.

2. ^{^}

   Friedrich, Carl J. & Zbigniew K. Brzezinski (1965) Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy, 2nd ed., Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 22.

3. ^{^}

   Aron, Raymond (1965) Démocratie et totalitarisme, Paris: Gallimard, ch. 15.

4. ^{^}

   Holmes, Leslie (2001) Totalitarianism, in Neil J. Smelser & Paul B. Baltes (eds.) International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 15788–15791.

5. ^{^}

   Bernholz, Peter (2000) Totalitarianism, in Charles K. Rowley & Friedrich Schneider (eds.) The Encyclopedia of Public Choice, Boston: Springer, pp. 565–569, p. 568.

6. ^{^}

   Dafoe, Allan (2018) AI governance: A research agenda, Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, section 4.1.

7. ^{^}

   Adamczewski, Tom (2019) A shift in arguments for AI risk, Fragile Credences, May 25, section 'Robust totalitarianism'.

8. ^{^}

   Caplan, Bryan (2008) The totalitarian threat, in Nick Bostrom & Milan M. Ćirković (eds.) Global Catastrophic Risks, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 504–519.

9. ^{^}

   Koehler, Arden (2020) Problem areas beyond 80,000 Hours’ current priorities, Effective Altruism Forum, June 22, section 'Risks of stable totalitarianism'.

10. ^{^}

    80,000 Hours (2022) Our current list of pressing world problems, 80,000 Hours.

1. ^{^}

   Mussolini, Benito (1932) 'La dottrina del fascismo', in Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.

2. ^{^}

   Friedrich, Carl J. & Zbigniew K. Brzezinski (1965) Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy, 2nd ed., Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 22.

3. ^{^}

   Aron, Raymond (1965) Démocratie et totalitarisme, Paris: Gallimard, ch. 15.

4. ^{^}

   Holmes, Leslie (2001) Totalitarianism, in Neil J. Smelser & Paul B. Baltes (eds.) International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 15788–15791.

5. ^{^}

   Bernholz, Peter (2000) Totalitarianism, in Charles K. Rowley & Friedrich Schneider (eds.) The Encyclopedia of Public Choice, Boston: Springer, pp. 565–569, p. 568.

6. ^{^}

   Dafoe, Allan (2018) AI governance: A research agenda, Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, sect.section 4.1.

7. ^{^}

   Adamczewski, Tom (2019) A shift in arguments for AI risk, Fragile Credences, May 25, sect. 'Robustsection 'Robust totalitarianism'.

8. ^{^}

   Caplan, Bryan (2008) The totalitarian threat, in Nick Bostrom & Milan M. Ćirković (eds.) Global Catastrophic Risks, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 504–519.

9. ^{^}

   Koehler, Arden (2020) Problem areas beyond 80,000 Hours’ current priorities, Effective Altruism Forum, June 22, section 'Risks of stable totalitarianism'.

Advances in artificial intelligence in areas such as lie detection, social persuasion and deception, autonomous weaponsweapons, and ubiquitous surveillance could entrench existing totalitarian regimes. These developments may also cause democracies to slide into totalitarianism.totalitarianism.^[6] On the other hand, AI could conceivably destabilize totalitarian systems or protect against their emergence.^[7] To this date, no detailed analysis exists of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the risk of robust totalitarianism. The literature on robust totalitarianism in general is itself very small.^[8] Research in this area is thus of high expected value.^[9]

Caplan, Bryan (2008) The totalitarian threat, in Nick Bostrom & Milan M. Ćirković (eds.) Global Catastrophic Risks, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 504–519.