Chapter 4: Technology Is Worsening Inequality

Lesson: In addition to creating a useless class, technology gives wealthy elites access to health and economic advantages that exacerbate inequality, creating a vicious cycle.

As technology threatens to create a useless class of unskilled workers and algorithms have the potential to overpower free will, inequality could grow exponentially: On one end of the spectrum will be the people who become unemployed when computers automate their jobs, and on the other end will be the wealthy CEOs who own the tech companies that automated those jobs.

Inequality has always existed to varying degrees in human societies:

• During the Stone Age, some people were buried with jewels and other goods, while others were dumped into simple graves.
• After the Agricultural Revolution, inequality worsened as people possessed more property—in the form of animals, land, and tools—with which to distinguish between the haves and the have-nots.
• During the Industrial Revolution, a company’s and country’s success depended more than ever on masses of common workers, so equality became more important to societies and governments throughout the 20th century. Governments started providing more healthcare, education, and other resources to keep people healthy and working.

The rise of technology and globalization brought speculation that equality would increase among people all over the world, but the opposite is happening: A small class of the tech elite possesses a huge portion of the world’s wealth, while billions struggle in poverty. If (or when) AI creates a useless class, the gap will widen further. Additionally, when the masses are no longer critical or even relevant to the economy, the wealthy elite may be less inclined to provide healthcare, education, and other services.

Making matters worse, developments in biotech could enable wealthy elites to become biologically superior by improving their physical and cognitive abilities and extending their lives. Throughout history, socially and economically elite classes owed their status to good fortune, cultural privileges, and hard work. But if wealthy elites gain biological advantages over the poor—and the poor are pushed out of opportunities to work and gain wealth—it could create a vicious cycle that continually widens the gap between haves and have-nots. Taken to the extreme, bioengineering could eventually turn the rich into a separate species with no need for the underclass of commoners.

Protecting Your Data

In order to prevent the rise of a biologically superior species of wealthy tech elites, governments need to regulate who owns data, which is the most valuable asset of the 21st century. In the past, power belonged to those who owned the most land. Then, machines, factories, and corporations became the most valuable forms of capital. In the digital age, data is king.

Tech companies already profit from collecting and selling consumers’ data. The more that corporations learn about the behaviors and preferences of masses of internet users, the more they’ll be able to control those consumers. Soon enough, advertisements could become obsolete—already, when Netflix recommends a movie based on your specific behaviors, you have less need for the movie trailer. As Netflix, Google, Facebook, and other tech companies learn more about you and deliver recommendations tailored specifically to your preferences, why would you need a commercial?

Convenient as it may be to let Google assist your purchasing choices, the consequences of massive data collection could quickly snowball. Currently, people essentially connect to a data gathering network when they use the internet on their computers and smartphones. In time, people could become increasingly connected to a data collection network, in which devices collect biometric information 24 hours a day, starting in infancy. The data could be used to determine your insurance policies, healthcare, or your employment—and if you choose to disconnect, you could risk losing your insurance, healthcare, and job.

The critical question will be: Who owns your data?

• If corporations own your data, there’s huge potential that they could use it to manipulate you and influence you to buy their products and services.
• If the government owns your data, politicians will have the power to exploit and influence your thoughts and emotions, which could essentially amount to national mind control.
• If you own your own data, how do you protect it? When land was the most valuable asset, people could simply build fences around their properties. When industry became more valuable, people developed a system of ownership through buying and selling shares of a company. Protecting ownership of your data is a complex problem that will likely take years and many attempts to solve.