AI Systematically Rewires the Flow of Ideas

As an epistemic technology, AI exerts influence over the ideas of individuals and society by acting as producer, mediator, and receiver of information. It impacts our collective knowledge, beliefs, and morality. In this position paper, we argue that there are mechanisms of hidden influence in AI development pipelines, which, when amplified by societal dynamics, could lead to dangerous outcomes that we may reverse by early interventions. We detail those mechanisms, amplifiers, and potential consequences in this paper.