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Silicon Valley’s AI vision raises alarms over democracy, labor, and humanity.
A new investigative series, Captured, exposes how Silicon Valley’s AI ambitions are evolving into a quasi-religious ideology, prioritizing techno-elitism over democratic values and worker welfare. The podcast, led by journalist Isobel C. and Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, traces AI’s global footprint—from lavish investor parties in flood-hit Dubai to impoverished content moderators like Meta’s Mercy Chimwani in Nairobi earning $1 an hour for traumatizing labor.
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The series reveals stark contrasts between AI’s builders and its enablers. In San Francisco, developers tout dreams of digital immortality and omniscience, while in Kenya’s informal settlements, workers silently train these systems under exploitative conditions. Former CTOs and startup investors push for minimal regulation, rejecting European-style democratic checks. Meanwhile, early internet pioneers like Judy Estrin warn of blind faith in innovation overtaking critical thought.
As AI shapes economies and cultures, Captured questions whether citizens are willingly adopting a belief system rooted in inequality and automation. The investigation urges the public to challenge the unchecked influence of AI evangelists before this vision of the future becomes irreversible.
Credit: Fintech Association Of Kenya
