Privacy in the AI era

The following is the summary of a talk given by Professor Véliz to a Pictet Wealth Management client conference.

Privacy is power. Reclaiming privacy in a world of data is possible, but it’s a matter of design. Most digital technologies we have today are fundamentally unethical. The basic business model of the internet revolves around the collection and sale of data. Even if we don’t want to send our data, it often happens without our consent. This undermines the very concept of consent itself. Instead of being forced to opt out, we should have to opt in.

The danger of bias is intimately related to privacy. Without data, it’s harder to be biased. Historical data, which is often used to train algorithms, is inherently flawed – riddled with sexism, racism and other prejudices. For example, it wasn’t so long ago that women couldn’t open bank accounts, and this historical inequality is reflected in the data. If we solve the privacy problem, we can address a significant portion of the bias problem. 

The choice to record or not record data can be a matter of life and death. During the Second World War, the invading Nazis went straight to local registries to identify Jewish populations. In the Netherlands, compulsory ID cards effectively placed a death sentence in the pocket of every Jewish person. In France, however, lives were saved because the Nazis were searching for data that simply hadn’t been gathered. This historical lesson underscores the power of privacy and the critical importance of limiting data collection. Today, we're making the same mistakes on an unprecedented scale – and it’s reckless.

Everywhere we turn, the analogue is becoming digital. When analogue becomes digital, it becomes surveillance. The untrackable is made trackable, the unsearchable becomes searchable. This transformation is not neutral. No tool is neutral. Everything is designed with a purpose in mind. The digital world is designed to collect, track and monetise data. 

This is why it’s essential to be vigilant. It’s not that difficult to be a little bit careful. We can use cash instead of cards, give children books instead of tablets and use notebooks instead of the cloud. We can turn off our WiFi and Bluetooth when we leave the house, and avoid connecting to public WiFi without a VPN. We can put our phones away during family gatherings, turn off cameras and microphones during classroom debates, and choose not to invite our phones into our most intimate relationships.

This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about life. Life is analogue. It’s through books that we converse with those who came before us. Writing is not just a product; it’s a way to think. If we rely on tools like ChatGPT, we risk losing the ability to think critically. We risk raising a generation of subjects rather than citizens. This is particularly concerning for liberal democracies, which depend on critical, engaged citizens to thrive.

Ethics and AI are evolving too quickly for regulators to keep up. This is not unique to technology; regulators often lag behind innovation in many industries. However, this doesn’t mean we should give up. Instead, we need to focus on regulating functions rather than specific technologies, as technologies change but their functions often remain the same.

Liberal democracies must come together to establish new global agreements, akin to a modern Bretton Woods or a Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We also need companies to step up and improve their standards. Competition can drive innovation in this area. Encrypted email services, VPN, password protection – these are the kind of technologies we need – tech that serves us, not someone else. When one company raises the bar, others are often forced to follow.

Efficiency is important, but it’s not the ultimate goal. Dictatorships are efficient, but they come at the cost of freedom and democracy. We must question whether we are willing to pay such a price for convenience. The stakes could not be higher. Personal data is being used for personalised propaganda, which threatens the integrity of elections and, by extension, democracy itself.

The richness of life is in the analogue. There is something magical about looking into each other’s eyes and having real, face-to-face conversations. This is the essence of life. Anything virtual depends on the analogue. Let us not forget that. The power of privacy extends beyond the individual. It’s a collective responsibility.

As citizens, clients and investors, we have the power to demand better technology. We can choose alternatives to mainstream options. We can advocate for tech that prioritises ethics and serves the people who use it, rather than exploiting them. Demand drives design. Just as design icons like Eames chairs didn’t happen by chance, ethical technology won’t happen without intentional effort.

The stakes are high, but the solutions are within our reach. By making small changes in our daily lives, demanding better from companies and pushing for stronger regulations, we can reclaim our privacy and protect our democracy. The future is not set in stone. It’s up to us to shape it.