The Atlantic “Ideas” article had all the trappings of an insightful think piece co authored by one of the most successful former CEOs in Silicon Valley, Eric Schmidt. 

Schmidt, who headed up Google from 2001 to 2011, writing alongside Robert O. Work, described by The Atlantic as “the 32nd U.S. deputy secretary of defense,” were given over 2000 words to lay out “Offset-X,” a strategy “for the U.S. to restore the technological superiority of its military over all potential adversaries.” At the heart of their strategy is pivot by the Department of Defense to great power competition and the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

But there’s a huge potential conflict of interest that the Atlantic failed to disclose to readers on Monday: Schmidt’s venture capital firm Innovation Endeavors is an enthusiastic investor in AI products for the military. Work, for his part, is chairman of the board for Sparkcognition Government Systems, a company that describes itself as the “first full-spectrum artificial intelligence company that leverages proven commercial technologies to meet the needs of the most pressing national security missions.”

In other words, the policies advocated by the two writers in the Atlantic could provide them with direct financial benefits.

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continua qui: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/12/08/ai-weapons-investors-get-an-undisclosed-advertorial-in-the-atlantic/