Video Information: 30.12.24, Vedanta: Basics to Classics, Greater Noida
Description:
Acharya Prashant discusses the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and data privacy, warning against the increasing power of AI in tracking and influencing human behavior. He explains how AI collects scattered data points, connecting them to reveal a person's habits and vulnerabilities, making individuals more susceptible to manipulation and control. He emphasizes that avoiding enslavement by AI requires a life of openness and honesty, where one has nothing to hide. He highlights the futility of trying to protect personal privacy when technology can intrude into all aspects of life.
Regarding global challenges like climate change and AI-driven control, Acharya Ji underscores the need for wisdom over technological advancements, cautioning that humanity's moral and intellectual growth has not kept pace with its technological prowess. He also argues that true power lies in enslavement rather than destruction, suggesting that individuals should cultivate inner resilience and detachment from materialistic temptations to retain freedom in an AI-dominated world.
🎧 Listen to Acharya Prashant on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2QmVEAAnsNE7Xs0MW0Li8Y?si=09fbcbc7c99c469b
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~
Description:
Acharya Prashant discusses the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and data privacy, warning against the increasing power of AI in tracking and influencing human behavior. He explains how AI collects scattered data points, connecting them to reveal a person's habits and vulnerabilities, making individuals more susceptible to manipulation and control. He emphasizes that avoiding enslavement by AI requires a life of openness and honesty, where one has nothing to hide. He highlights the futility of trying to protect personal privacy when technology can intrude into all aspects of life.
Regarding global challenges like climate change and AI-driven control, Acharya Ji underscores the need for wisdom over technological advancements, cautioning that humanity's moral and intellectual growth has not kept pace with its technological prowess. He also argues that true power lies in enslavement rather than destruction, suggesting that individuals should cultivate inner resilience and detachment from materialistic temptations to retain freedom in an AI-dominated world.
🎧 Listen to Acharya Prashant on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2QmVEAAnsNE7Xs0MW0Li8Y?si=09fbcbc7c99c469b
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00All these apps, they are always asking for permissions.
00:03Can I access your calls?
00:05What does an entertainment app want to access my calls for?
00:10What does it have to do with my phone calls?
00:12But the app is asking for that.
00:13Can I access all your photos and videos?
00:15Can I access your data, your messages, all the text stored on phone?
00:20And you think it's a small matter, maybe, you know, some bogus developer on random overtime
00:25introduced these features.
00:26No, it's all very well thought out.
00:28Think of it.
00:29Somebody knows where you are and they are constantly asking for more permissions.
00:34They say, no, we want permission to not just tell you the route, but also store all the
00:40routes that you took over last one year.
00:42So they will know where you like to go.
00:44They know exactly the time you take.
00:46They know your driving style.
00:47They also know what you prefer to purchase.
00:50They also know to whom you gift all your purchases.
00:54What can you hide now?
00:56There is nothing called a personal or a private life run if you can, but you will not be able
01:00to hide.
01:05Priyad Chatterjee, I am Tahir Ali, I live in Netherlands, close to the village where
01:13you visited and had an observation where you saw 80, 90 years old dancing and singing.
01:20Zanboot.
01:21Yeah.
01:22Yeah.
01:23Yes.
01:24So my question is, I read two books regarding artificial intelligence.
01:31One is Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari and other Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleiman.
01:38So what they are saying is that the wave of artificial intelligence, which we have right
01:44now, is something unprecedented and what we are going to face in the future, we have never
01:52faced in the past, be it during the industrialization or any other technological events, which has
01:58happened.
01:59And with the invent of AGI and ACI, now what we see and Nexus also, Yuval Noah Harari mentioned
02:11that in Iran, they use the face detection on women to see if the women are wearing hijab
02:18or not, even in the cars.
02:21And if they do face detection, they can identify if someone is not wearing hijab and then they
02:27can find them.
02:28And if a woman is not wearing for more than two to three times, then they can even jail
02:34her.
02:35Also, there is drone attacks, drones being used in the warfare, be it in Ukraine or when
02:44Israel is bombing Hamas, Hezbollah or also in Syria.
02:50And also, there's a climate change, which you keep on talking about.
02:56So these are like two ticking time bombs, which is happening simultaneously.
03:01And I was just wondering what's there left for the humanity and for us in the future,
03:07because artificial intelligence can only be contained by the big corporates who are creating
03:17it because they have huge amount of data and they are the ones who are investing a lot
03:23in that.
03:24So the regulation has to be self-regulation or through government.
03:28But in developed countries also, what we see is that there is a lot of right-wing parties
03:36which are winning and now they are forming governments.
03:40And their main objective is growth.
03:43And second is to also ensure that our immigration can be reduced.
03:47So my question is that since now in 2025, when we are going to go into this new year
03:55and anyways, climate change is such a big thing and with artificial intelligence, with
04:00open AI, bringing out new models every month or quarterly, and now the newer model also
04:09has an AGI where it can reason out itself, where are we headed to and is there a way
04:16to survive these two onslaughts?
04:22As a common man, it will be difficult to hide from AI.
04:36AI depends on big data and the more your patterns are visible to data, to AI, the more
04:56it will be able to predict you and therefore enslave you.
05:03It's going to be very difficult stopping that process.
05:13So flat out, the way to not to be enslaved is to not have too many patterns at all.
05:24They will enslave you by knowing your patterns and you cannot hide those patterns now.
05:40Money is bigger than any code of ethics.
05:51You won't purchase something, anything, for no reason they want your phone number.
06:03You ask them why, they say no, we'll send you an e-bill.
06:08You tell them you don't need a bill at all, they tell you if you have a bill, it will
06:15enable you to seek replacements or alterations or participate in their points program.
06:33Do you think they are so altruistic that they want your phone number so that they can allot
06:42you points?
06:47They map your phone number against your shopping behavior.
06:55This phone number has been purchasing this, this, this and this and one purchase may not
07:01mean much but over a period of time, across cities, across outlets, when everything comes
07:10together, a complete picture of your personality emerges.
07:21Just as the actor is the action, the chooser is the choice, the observer is the observed,
07:35the buyer is the bought, what you buy tells almost everything about the buyer.
07:55Big data knows you more completely than you know yourself and that will be used to tempt
08:09you, trap you, ensnare you or scare you.
08:22Understanding the fundamental importance of segmentation, anything that you want to
08:33sell or bring to the other, if not for selling then for other purposes, cannot be bombarded
08:46by everybody.
08:49The world is far too big for that.
08:56If you try to offer everything to everybody, the effort, the campaign will be far too expensive.
09:07The world is 8.5 billion people.
09:13So you want to target the right segment, how to know the right segment, that's where data
09:20comes in.
09:25What does AI do?
09:28It is very good, because it works on logic, it is very good at determining how do the
09:39dots connect with each other.
09:45Data is points, AI is adept at creating a good story using those points and that story
09:59is the story of your life.
10:02The face that emerges when you connect those data points is your face and what's interesting
10:14is that when those points are connected by AI, they reveal much more than what you thought
10:26you had exposed.
10:32You tell one thing to this person, one thing to this person, one thing to this person,
10:36you think you have told just three things to three different people.
10:40But if these three data points come to an intelligent thinker, he can take these three
10:48points and infer something that you never wanted to be revealed.
10:56Are you getting it?
11:059 am you texted your wife, I am going to the office.
11:16That's fine.
11:22Then you swiped your card in the metro, the wife doesn't know of it, that's fine.
11:36Then you went and had lunch somewhere, the metro doesn't know of it.
11:47Then you went ahead and shopped somewhere, the eatery doesn't know of it.
11:58Then you booked a cab to drop someone to their place, the shopping mall doesn't know
12:04of it.
12:06But if these 6-7 transactions are brought together to an intelligent computer system,
12:17the system will be able to come up with a story that would astonish you and you never
12:25wanted to expose that story.
12:30A little bit of yourself you had exposed at point 1, then at point 2, then at point 3,
12:35then at point 4 and you thought you were exposing just a little bit of yourself electronically.
12:45Sometimes by writing a mail, sometimes by swiping a card.
12:53Sometimes through biometrics, little bit of your information you are revealing everywhere,
13:05that information comes together to give someone your life story.
13:14And now you can be trapped because everything is related.
13:22Your credit card is mapped to your phone number, is it not?
13:30And everything else on your mobile is talking to everything else.
13:38And the various electronic devices, they too are talking to each other.
13:41So what's on one device gets known to the other device.
13:44Your TV, is it not talking to your mobile phone now?
13:48Even your car is talking to your mobile phone now.
13:51You purchase a modern car, it comes with an app.
13:56Sitting in London, you can lock your car in Delhi or unlock it or whatever.
14:05So many features are there.
14:11All these apps, they are always asking for permissions.
14:14Can I access your calls?
14:18What does an entertainment app want to access my calls for?
14:28What does Snapchat have to do with my phone calls?
14:32But the app is asking for that.
14:37Can I access all your photos and videos?
14:40Can I access your data, your messages, all the text stored on phone?
14:47And you think it's a small matter, maybe some bogus developer on random over time introduced
14:58these features.
14:59No.
15:00It's all very well thought out.
15:06And not having a mobile phone is not an option.
15:10And it's impossible to control the mechanics and minds of those who are putting these things
15:18at all the electronic places.
15:20So what are you left with?
15:24The only option is to live cleanly, simplest option, nothing hanky panky.
15:38What do you call my data?
15:41My life is like a clean slate.
15:47Now how will you control or arrest me?
15:51This sounds so impractical.
15:53We say no, no, no, we must have private spaces, let there be personal life and nobody should
15:59be able to intrude into our privacy.
16:02These are good ideals.
16:03But who will uphold those ideals?
16:12If oil was gold, big data is diamond and AI is platinum, who's going to stop their greed?
16:22Your ideals?
16:23No.
16:24Moral values don't stand a chance when it comes to money.
16:32So you can keep beating your chest, no, this is invasion of privacy.
16:36This is that.
16:37This is that.
16:38The privacy will be invaded.
16:42There was this device in my room, the Alexa device and it was always on.
16:56I found it good.
16:59I simply had to command it, say something and it would play the song and also provide
17:06me information.
17:12One of my batch mates visited me.
17:15He said, you see, this device is always plugged, right, always switched on.
17:21When you say something, it responds, right.
17:26So he said, what do you think?
17:29It is hearing you only when you are talking to it.
17:36In your room, it is switched on all the time, which means it is listening to you all the
17:44time.
17:45I said, fine, he said, not fine, I'm not sure where that device is now, maybe he took it
17:56away.
17:59If someone can make money out of recording one of your conversations, he will.
18:09Wishful thinking won't work.
18:20If you have any cracks, any chinks in your armor, they will be exploited.
18:30The only way that remains is to live a life completely naked.
18:38I have nothing to hide.
18:41Now how will you exploit me?
18:46Whatever you had to hide can no more be hidden.
18:52It will be seen.
18:55Technology is monstrous.
18:58Technology is awesomely monstrous.
19:05I admire the way it simply blasts away our defenses.
19:25GPS has become routine now.
19:28When it came for the first time, it struck me, somebody knows where I am.
19:36Think of it, all the time somebody knows where you are and they are constantly asking for
19:44more permissions.
19:45They say, no, we want permission to not just tell you the route, but also store all the
19:52routes that you took over last one year.
19:55So they will know where you like to go.
19:58What can you hide now?
20:02They know exactly the time you take.
20:04They know your driving style.
20:05They also know what you prefer to purchase.
20:07They also know to whom you gift all your purchases.
20:12What can you hide now?
20:15There is nothing called a personal or a private life.
20:18You cannot keep anything secret.
20:20Not possible.
20:21You can hide it from your parents or spouses.
20:23They are idiots.
20:24But you cannot hide it from AI anymore.
20:35You speak to chat about any topic and it will come up with responses that would astound
20:43you.
20:44From where did this machine learn this?
20:50Nothing from data.
20:51Scattered data, when it is brought to one place and then logically interpreted in light
21:00of pre-existing patterns, it throws up unbelievable insights.
21:08That's what AI is about.
21:19Run if you can, but you will not be able to hide.
21:26Best thing is to not have anything to hide.
21:32I live a free and open life.
21:35Come and see whatever you have to.
21:36There are no skeletons in the cupboard.
21:38There is nothing to hide.
21:41Come with all your inferences.
21:43None of your inferences can harm me.
21:48Those who have things to hide will be tormented.
21:56Those who are so afraid of the society that they want to do things privately will be exposed.
22:04AI will force you either to accept slavery or to accept total freedom.
22:17The middle path will no longer be available.
22:24If you want to avoid slavery, you will have to accept total freedom.
22:32An innocent life, a life of no guilt, a life where nothing is hidden, a life of total nakedness.
22:46All the time they are watching you and everything is on the web.
22:55All devices are talking to each other, fingerprints, CCTVs, you name it.
23:17They know your age.
23:18They know your anniversary.
23:19They know your medical records as well.
23:22They know the drugs you take.
23:28They know the flowers you like.
23:30They know your body type.
23:31They know your blood group.
23:34They know who you are seeing.
23:39They know you just visited a divorce lawyer.
23:42They target you accordingly.
23:43You won't even know how you have been targeted.
23:49Everybody is looking at you all the time and he is very adept at connecting the dots.
24:10Much of that you think of as advanced level of service that some modern corporation is
24:22providing you.
24:23No, that's not service.
24:24That's spying.
24:25Your car is telling you.
24:37I noticed that you recently visited a florist and found the shop closed.
24:47Here are the addresses of a few more florists.
24:52Your car is not supposed to do that but that's what your car is announcing to you.
25:00The car will be very quickly able to see, map, whose birthday was it on that particular
25:13date because the car also has access to your mobile phone records.
25:17Don't you connect your mobile phone to your car?
25:21The car knows you went to the florist.
25:24The car looks at your records.
25:27The car accesses related databases.
25:29The car comes to see this person's birthday.
25:32So he celebrates this person's birthday.
25:36Your car will know more about you than even your parents or friends know about you.
25:49And not only will the car know about your past, the car will be able to predict your
25:53future.
25:54Don't be surprised if you approach your car and your car says, welcome, I'll take you
26:02to the dentist now.
26:05The car reads your mind.
26:07You'll say, wow, that's a great level of service.
26:11The car already knows.
26:12No, the car doesn't just know.
26:13The car is your driver now.
26:18You are being driven by the car.
26:26The car will tell you someday, no, I refuse to take you down this road.
26:32With all my intelligence, I know the other destination is better for you.
26:42And you will acquiesce, you'll be happy.
26:44Of course, the car knows better.
26:46Just as the GPS tells you this route is longer and more time consuming, I'm switching you
26:51to another route.
26:52Doesn't the GPS do that?
26:55And you happily agree soon.
26:59The car will also tell you that not only is the route to be changed, even the destination
27:06is to be changed.
27:12Why do you want to go to the library?
27:17Looking at your mood and your patterns, I think you should rather go to the pub.
27:24I'm driving to the pub now.
27:36What's more, they'll demand more money for a car that has such a feature and you'll happily pay up.
27:58Living without secrets, living without guilt, living without handles that can be exploited.
28:15Only this can save you.
28:19If you can be tempted, you will be.
28:22If you can be threatened, you will be.
28:29An inward innocence, an inward untouchability, that is the only refuge possible.
28:42You want to know all about me, welcome.
28:45You can take all the data and still you won't be able to tempt or threaten me.
28:52That is the only way now to lead a free life, which means that wisdom, self-knowledge are
29:03going to be your only recourse.
29:11Even now, the things that you think are private are not private.
29:18People know of them.
29:19Just that those who know of them do not want it to be known that they know, they know.
29:39Somebody gained weight, you know, and the fellow started receiving messages from a garment
29:50chain that sells only excised products.
29:58He was surprised.
30:00How did they know that I have gained weight?
30:03That's the extent.
30:04This fellow was not overweight always.
30:09Suddenly he gained weight and he started receiving messages from a clothing brand that
30:16sells only excised products.
30:22So this fellow had gone to a dietician, to a doctor and had purchased certain medicines
30:32that are probably used to challenge obesity and that data reached the clothes seller,
30:42the garment seller.
30:45It didn't just incidentally reach.
30:51You mentioned climate change.
30:52You know what the relationship between AI and climate change is?
30:56On one hand, the AI engines and big data, they consume tremendous energy.
31:04We talked of the nationally determined contributions, which are the national obligations, the national
31:11commitments to reducing the carbon emissions by 2030 and we said while the Paris Agreement
31:20stipulates a 45% reduction in carbon emissions, the NDCs, they target just 2%.
31:29Now even that 2% is not going to be feasible.
31:31In fact, we are going to have an increase in emissions by 2030, forget about minus 45%.
31:39It's going to be plus something.
31:41One of the reasons is AI.
31:45I don't exactly remember the statistic, but it was something like one general search on
31:50chat consumes as much energy as a light bulb, 100 watt light bulb consumes for 20 minutes.
32:07That's 100 watts into 0.33 hours, so 33 watt hours.
32:16That kind of energy.
32:17A simple query on any of these AI engines, I might be wrong, you can cross check on chat.
32:36That's one thing.
32:37Second thing is because AI is so smart, so we are now using AI to predict where exactly
32:48and how intense the next extreme weather event would be.
32:54We are not using AI to challenge climate change, we are using it to predict where the next
33:02extreme weather event is going to be so that we can prepare in advance.
33:07You see, we are smart.
33:12AI is in no way going to help us arrest carbon emissions, but through all kinds of short
33:27term weather models and long term models of climate, you can kind of predict, okay, you
33:32are going to have a cyclone here soon, or this region is going to have too little rainfall,
33:40so that can be known a few days or months in advance.
33:45So we are so smart, we'll prepare for that.
33:57We may want to avoid the obvious fact, but no amount of intellect or smartness can substitute
34:12for simple, honest, naked wisdom.
34:19If you are full of inner ignorance, desires, temptations, jealousy, greed, and all that
34:36jazz, there is no way even the most spectacular technology can help you.
34:46Technology is just a tool.
34:50If you are an idiot, you will use that tool to further your idiocy and harm yourself in
34:59even deeper ways.
35:10We feel so mesmerized on having a new cutting edge gadget in our hands, don't we?
35:23Just walk into one of these electronic stores and look at the shine on people's faces when
35:36they have the latest technology in their hands, wow, God Almighty himself, this can
35:47do this, this can do that, this can only do what you, the idiot, will tell it to do.
35:59This can do this, this can do that, yes, obviously, it can travel faster, it can calculate faster,
36:06better resolution, higher processing speed, bigger storage, all that is there, fine.
36:22But it is a thing in your hands.
36:25If you are not wise, how can you put it to a wise use?
36:32And that's what has happened.
36:34The pace of technological progress has been far, far greater than the pace of inner progress.
36:49So we are stupid people, having very advanced tools with us, ideally, external power should
37:05be available only to the one who has attained internal maturity.
37:14You know that and you apply that in your homes, don't you?
37:20You don't give a gun to a 3 year old, you don't even allow him to have the TV remote,
37:29you don't want to give a mobile phone to an 8 year old, why?
37:35Because powerful tools can be given only to those who are internally mature.
37:42Now is mankind internally mature enough to handle all the tremendous technological tools
37:52it has created?
37:53No, we are not.
37:57So AI is great, but its users are not.
38:06In a wise man's hands, AI can be put to obviously constructive use, wonderful use.
38:11Unfortunately, most of us are far from being wise, therefore, AI will be put only to very,
38:19very violent, very destructive use.
38:25You see how nations are afraid of each other?
38:30The US is shivering in its pants, oh, China has stolen a march over us in AI.
38:35Now why are you so afraid?
38:38Because they know that AI in China's hand will be used as a tool of dominance over the US.
38:49Because that's what animals do, they just try to dominate each other.
38:57Monkeys fighting over a banana.
39:16So I'm not advising you to be discreet with your data.
39:22I'm advising you to be absolutely careless with your data.
39:28Tell them, take whatever information you want to have.
39:33I have nothing to hide.
39:36Irrespective of how careful and how discreet you are, they'll still have all the information.
39:42You cannot hide it now.
39:47Just figure out the number of satellites that are now capable of intruding even into your bedroom.
40:05I think there is one now that has a sight, a camera resolution so sharp, it can even
40:14read the title of the book lying on your desk from there.
40:21What will you hide now?
40:27You think these walls can save you?
40:30Satellites see through everything.
40:34Many of these targets in Afghanistan and other places, how are they assassinated?
40:42Four of them are having a meeting in one particular room in a house and a laser sharp
40:52attack happens that destroys only that particular room, not even the other rooms of the house.
41:02There was this Iranian leader travelling in a convoy of cars, four or five cars.
41:09Only the particular car he was travelling in was struck with a missile.
41:16Next time it would be just that particular seat.
41:19The rest of the car will keep moving.
41:29There is nothing secret or private.
41:33Nothing at all.
41:36You cannot hide.
41:38So best is have nothing to hide.
41:48Don't be afraid of the society.
41:49First thing, don't do anything that must not be done.
41:56Second thing, if you are doing something that you think is right, then don't hide, expose
42:04it.
42:05Otherwise, it would be used to blackmail you.
42:09If it is right, why should I hide?
42:13I'll come out.
42:16If you don't come out on your own, others will expose that and blackmail you or arm
42:24twist you or whatever.
42:27I understand that Acharya ji.
42:30One thing I wanted to know, you spoke about on individual level what we can do, but on
42:35the crowd level, I was just thinking, suppose a very deadly pathogen has been created, which
42:41is more potent than COVID and which can spread faster than COVID as well.
42:48And if it gets in the hand of a terrorist organization and it starts spreading it across
42:54the world, then what hope do we have?
42:56Or like the OM cult which was in Japan, they can use anthrax on a drone and then spread
43:06it across in a music event.
43:10They do not want to physically kill you, friend.
43:14They want to enslave you.
43:16Who wants to kill a slave?
43:17A slave is useful.
43:20Why kill someone if he can be enslaved?
43:25Do you rather kill someone or enslave him?
43:29When you enslave him, he becomes useful.
43:32When you kill him, you are left to take care of the body, how to dispose of the remains,
43:38how to hide the murder.
43:42It's far better to enslave them.
43:46And what better way to enslave them than to turn them into your customers?
43:51Why kill them?
43:53Just make them your customers.
43:55They'll keep paying you all their life happily and also thank you.
44:03Nobody is going to kill you, don't worry.
44:06They'll in fact help you live longer so that you can keep serving longer as slaves.
44:16Don't worry.
44:19The virus, the pathogen that is being unleashed at us is not physical.
44:27It is not the coronavirus.
44:32It won't affect your body.
44:35Don't compare it to the anthrax thing.
44:39It is a mental thing and therefore it has to be fought at the mental level.
44:45Have something within that is immune to the world.
44:52That is the immunity that you need.
44:54Have something within that the world can never touch.
44:59If the world cannot touch it, then the world cannot damage it, co-opt it or enslave it.
45:17Don't you see all these big people are continuously telling you that you need to increase population?
45:27Do you think they want to kill you?
45:29In fact, they want you to multiply so that they can have more slaves, which is more customers.
45:39Why else would a sane person deny all the population growth projections and say that
45:48a population collapse is happening?
45:51Where is the collapse, sir?
45:54The world population from 8 billion today is projected to grow to 11 or 12 billion by
46:00the end of the century.
46:02Which collapse are you talking of?
46:03No, no, no, no, no.
46:06It doesn't need to be just 11 or 12 billion.
46:08It needs to be 15 billion because that would mean 15 billion slaves.
46:12Come on, come on, multiply and purchase my products.
46:25Similarly, the politicians want you to multiply.
46:27They won't kill you.
46:31For a manufacturer, you are a customer.
46:33For a politician, you are a voter.
46:37The more you multiply, the more do their votes.
46:44So vote for me and pay me, say the politician and the capitalist.
46:49And therefore, they want you to multiply.
47:04Have something within that listens to nobody.
47:08Have something within that listens to nobody of this world.
47:16Have something within that listens only to that, that which can have no name, that which
47:27is not an idea or thought, a concept, a person, a belief.
47:35Only that can save you.
47:38Else, the world will eat you up.
47:52Thank you, Acharya ji.
47:53Welcome.