Anthony Vinci in NYT: ‘The greatest danger, though, isn’t A.I.’s ability to lie. It’s the ability to persuade. These new agents of influence are less like a traditional propaganda pamphlet — static and lifeless — and more like a living, breathing case officer, as I used to be.’

And: ‘Studies by the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University have shown that the amount of time spent on TikTok correlates with more benevolent views of Chinese human rights. What’s new about A.I. is its personalization and interactivity.’

His advice: ‘Trust no one. The hardest part of spycraft may be never taking anything as permanently true. A.I. makes it especially easy to go soft. Chat systems are good at providing answers, and it’s tempting to just accept their answers.’

Wittgenstein said that not everything deserves to be called into doubt. Not everything, perhaps, but everyone?

Moderate paranoia as a tool to remain truthful.

(a sf 2255)