OPINION:
If you’re looking for a tragically compelling reason to be terrified for America’s future, look no further than a disturbing new survey showing that a substantial proportion of young Americans are willing to turn over their most cherished freedoms to the whims of artificial intelligence.
The shocking results from the Heartland Institute’s Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center and Rasmussen Reports expose a startling level of confusion, apathy and downright ignorance among likely voters in America between the ages of 18 and 39.
The heartbeat of America’s future, these young adults are showcasing some trends that demand attention — and action. The statistics are beyond head-turning, with 41% expressing support for handing over public policymaking decisions to an “advanced AI system.”
As deleterious and terrifying as that is, other related findings only up the ante on the alarm.
Nearly four in 10 (36%) of likely voters in this age cohort would support plans to give AI “authority to determine the rights that belong to individuals and families, including rights related to speech, religious practices, government authority and property.”
The notion that America’s First Amendment freedoms — ideals solidified and defended for more than two centuries — would suddenly be determined by non-human computerized systems is spine-chilling.
But, alas, many of our young people are on board with allowing this absolute madness.
Meanwhile, a similar proportion of 18-39-year-old likely voters (35%) would permit giving AI the ability to control the globe’s largest militaries, yet another finding that made me do a double-take.
The specific prompt asked whether people would “give an advanced AI system the authority to control all of the world’s largest militaries, with the express purpose of reducing the number of people who die from war.”
While the latter ideal of attempting to save lives is noble, the notion that machine learning would be a better arbiter of decision-making in life or death situations than thinking, breathing and reasoning humans — and under the auspices of granting machines the full “authority to control” in this regard — is absolutely wild.
Donald Kendal, director of the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at the Heartland Institute, called the results “stunning” and encouraged people to think deeper about potential dangers and issues surrounding AI, particularly among young people.
“What we are seeing is the early emergence of an AI strong man mentality among younger Americans,” he said. “Younger generations are increasingly disillusioned with the failures of traditional institutions, so much so that they are willing to hand control to artificial intelligence.
“For many, the thought process is: These institutions are already so broken, corrupt and ineffective, how could it get any worse if we were to put AI in charge?”
Mr. Kendal is not wrong about the mentality of many young people and Americans at large. He’s also correct to note that we’re on an “incredibly dangerous trajectory,” especially for a liberty-loving society that has prided itself on First Amendment freedoms.
Yet the issues at the core of these findings run much deeper than mere institutional distrust. In fact, support for handing over rights to inhuman AI systems exposes a plethora of problems in the minds and hearts of our youth and the American conscience more broadly.
In an on-demand culture dominated and propped up by DoorDash, Uber and other instant comfort generators, too many of us have become entitled, complacent and bent on quick fixes that ultimately prioritize our own convenience over all else.
Plus, we’re distracted on our cell phones, obsessed with technology and detached from much of what truly matters. The notion that we need to be the ones to think, feel, process and act is becoming less of a priority, with AI further driving us off a cliff into an unhealthy, diabolical and culture-shattering tech reliance.
Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly valuable uses for AI in a variety of fields, including policymaking, but the idea that we would green-light allowing it to control the confines governing our most important rights and freedoms is a terrifying pathway toward insanity.
Men and women of valor have given their time, effort and even their lives to defend the very freedoms that too many people are now willing to lazily toss over to AI.
Now is the time for us to double down, confront these statistics and help young Americans realize the dangers implicit in their apathy. Freedom isn’t free, and the quickest way to lose it is to simply yield it to a force we mistakenly believe will have our best interests at heart.
AI should be a tool that makes us better at what we do, not a replacement for human capability, governance and determining rightful order. These statistics make it clear that we must swiftly engage on this issue to pull a substantial proportion of our young people back from the brink of absurdity, reminding them of their rightful duty to protect the fundamental freedoms we enjoy.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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