I agree that historically, new technologies often allow new forms of political control (but also new forms of political resistance and rebellion). We’re seeing this with social media and algorithmic ‘bubble formation’ that increases polarization.
Your last paragraph identifies what I think is the latent fear among many EAs: when they talk about a ‘permanent global totalitarian state’, I think they’re often implicitly extrapolating from the current Chinese state, and imagining it augmented by much stronger AI. Trouble is, I think these fears are often (but not always) based on some pretty serious misunderstandings of China, and its history, government, economy, culture, and ethos.
By most objective standards, I think the CCP over the last 100 years has actually been more adaptable, dynamic, and flexible in its approach to policy changes than most ‘liberal democracies’ have been—with diverse approaches ranging from Mao’s centralized economic control to Mao’s cultural revolution to Deng’s economic liberalization to Hu’s humble meritocracy to Xi’s re-assertive nationalism. Decade by decade, China’s policies change quite dramatically, even as the CCP remains in power. By contrast, Western ‘liberal democracies’ tend to be run by the same deep state bureaucrats and legislatively gridlocked duopolies that rarely deviate from a post-WWII centrist status quo. Anyway, I think EAs interested in whether ‘China + AI’ provides a credible model for a ‘permanent totalitarian state’ could often benefit from learning a bit more about Chinese history over the last century. (Recommended podcasts: ‘China Talk’ and ‘China History Podcast’).
This post itself sounds very misinformed about CCP history over the past hundred years.
Yes, the CCP changes, but not its underlying logic of unlimited power, and all the dangers associated with it.
Yes, it adapts to external environment to survive, but the domestic costs of doing so cannot be lightly overlooked—such as some of the worst famines, political purges, mass-shooting against teenage students, mass imprisonment, forced labour camps (and the list goes on) humanity has ever seen.
There is the tendency among some China watchers, in their eagerness to ‘educate’ the West about China, too quickly adopt the official narrative and history of the CCP. In doing so, they create a dangerous alliance, often out of ignorance more than willingness. Only when one can get over the hook of CCP official propaganda can one truly begin to see China as it is (sometimes it does seem terribly enticing. Hundreds of millions of people literally lifted out of by the Mother Party, rising on the global stage, developing modern technology, etc.). And I’m beginning to come to the view that the moral instincts of ignorant people reacting to phenomena in China are often more laudable than those of ‘experts’, who claim to know subtleties but in effect really are finding hopeless justifications for a morally bankrupt system. I’d recommend reading not Western China watchers but well-respected (and often suppressed) Chinese experts, scholars such as Gao Hua, Qin Hui, Shen Zhihua, to name a few.
Jackson—thanks for your comment.
I agree that historically, new technologies often allow new forms of political control (but also new forms of political resistance and rebellion). We’re seeing this with social media and algorithmic ‘bubble formation’ that increases polarization.
Your last paragraph identifies what I think is the latent fear among many EAs: when they talk about a ‘permanent global totalitarian state’, I think they’re often implicitly extrapolating from the current Chinese state, and imagining it augmented by much stronger AI. Trouble is, I think these fears are often (but not always) based on some pretty serious misunderstandings of China, and its history, government, economy, culture, and ethos.
By most objective standards, I think the CCP over the last 100 years has actually been more adaptable, dynamic, and flexible in its approach to policy changes than most ‘liberal democracies’ have been—with diverse approaches ranging from Mao’s centralized economic control to Mao’s cultural revolution to Deng’s economic liberalization to Hu’s humble meritocracy to Xi’s re-assertive nationalism. Decade by decade, China’s policies change quite dramatically, even as the CCP remains in power. By contrast, Western ‘liberal democracies’ tend to be run by the same deep state bureaucrats and legislatively gridlocked duopolies that rarely deviate from a post-WWII centrist status quo. Anyway, I think EAs interested in whether ‘China + AI’ provides a credible model for a ‘permanent totalitarian state’ could often benefit from learning a bit more about Chinese history over the last century. (Recommended podcasts: ‘China Talk’ and ‘China History Podcast’).
This post itself sounds very misinformed about CCP history over the past hundred years.
Yes, the CCP changes, but not its underlying logic of unlimited power, and all the dangers associated with it.
Yes, it adapts to external environment to survive, but the domestic costs of doing so cannot be lightly overlooked—such as some of the worst famines, political purges, mass-shooting against teenage students, mass imprisonment, forced labour camps (and the list goes on) humanity has ever seen.
There is the tendency among some China watchers, in their eagerness to ‘educate’ the West about China, too quickly adopt the official narrative and history of the CCP. In doing so, they create a dangerous alliance, often out of ignorance more than willingness. Only when one can get over the hook of CCP official propaganda can one truly begin to see China as it is (sometimes it does seem terribly enticing. Hundreds of millions of people literally lifted out of by the Mother Party, rising on the global stage, developing modern technology, etc.). And I’m beginning to come to the view that the moral instincts of ignorant people reacting to phenomena in China are often more laudable than those of ‘experts’, who claim to know subtleties but in effect really are finding hopeless justifications for a morally bankrupt system. I’d recommend reading not Western China watchers but well-respected (and often suppressed) Chinese experts, scholars such as Gao Hua, Qin Hui, Shen Zhihua, to name a few.