Edward Snowden's Ominous Warning: A Revolution On The Horizon

Whistleblower Edward Snowden issued an ominous yet vague warning on Thursday about how the failure of institutions will usher in a "revolution" with unknown consequences. As a figure who has become synonymous with government transparency and privacy rights, Snowden's insights carry significant weight. His statement raises critical questions about the future of trust in our institutions and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on society.

Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 was charged with espionage by the Justice Department after he leaked more than 7,000 top secret records, did not mention a particular nation or group of people in his most recent commentary on world events. This vagueness invites speculation about the global implications of declining trust in institutions.

Although he has been a Moscow citizen for years, Snowden has not hesitated to share his views on domestic matters in the U.S.—such as urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to push back against warrantless surveillance or reprimanding Gary Gensler, chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, after a bitcoin-related post appeared following the hacking of the SEC's X (formerly Twitter) account.

Institutions are burning the public's faith in them at the precise moment in history when we have developed the capacity to replace them with algorithms.

A revolution is coming, and if you thought human judgment was bad, just wait until you see what replaces it.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 11, 2024

"Institutions are burning the public's faith in them at the precise moment in history when we have developed the capacity to replace them with algorithms," Snowden wrote on X. This statement highlights a crucial point: the intersection of technology and trust in governance is becoming increasingly fraught.

Trust in the national government in 2022 varied when comparing those who live in authoritarian regimes where a free press is limited, such as China and Saudi Arabia, with the rest of the world, according to data published by market research analyst Statista. More authoritarian countries had the highest levels of trust, Statista said, noting economic development in recent years and the absence of a critical press.

In the U.S., trust in public institutions—which began rapidly declining during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—is at historic lows, according to aggregated polling data. After recording significant declines in public confidence in 11 of 16 institutions in 2022, the most recent Gallup data found that numbers decreased even more last year. Public resentment grew due to a perceived lack of faith in Congress, the criminal justice system and various forms of news media.

The Pew Research Center, which has examined public trust in government dating back to 1958, said public confidence has waned for decades and hit historic lows in 2023 after slight upticks in 2020 and 2021. Just 16 percent of Americans polled in 2023 said they trust their government to do what is right always (1 percent) or most of the time (15 percent). That figure was lower in 2011, at 15 percent, following the recession that ushered in economic uncertainty.

The newest numbers showed a year-over-year drop from 20 to 16 percent, which Pew notes is among the lowest ratings recorded in seven decades. This stark decline in public trust points to a growing discontent among citizens regarding their institutions.

On X, Snowden also mentioned a coming revolution in artificial intelligence, saying that "if you thought human judgment was bad, just wait until you see what replaces it." This statement underscores the potential dangers of relying on algorithms and artificial intelligence to fill the void left by failing institutions.

Fears about AI were central during last year's Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike. Contractual disputes concerned pay and fears of industry workers and actors being replaced with cheaper AI options. The growing presence of AI has increased stress among the general population, according to a Scientific American report.

It noted that escalated fears have focused on a lack of online data privacy, the economic implications of certain types of employment being phased out for machines, a less literate society where students are more prone to cheat on their studies at learning institutions, and the threat of humans generally becoming obsolete altogether. These concerns highlight the urgent need for responsible responses to AI's evolution and its societal implications.

People must have a strong and responsible response to the escalation of artificial intelligence, one that recognizes that AI only mimics and cannot possess human consciousness. Ethical data handling and stringent collaborations between man and machine can go a long way to alleviate these concerns.

But while some of the negative AI focus has been on popular text-based programs like ChatGPT, technological advancements in medicine—such as research on autism and epilepsy—are allowing physicians to access much larger amounts of data in swifter time. These advancements present opportunities for improvement in healthcare, highlighting that AI can also be a force for good when applied responsibly.