The Capitalist Vision of Artificial Intelligence: Profit, Power, and Control

Introduction
Artificial intelligence is one of the most prominent innovations of the modern digital revolution. It has provided tremendous possibilities for enhancing productivity, advancing science and public services, and contributing to solving many of the challenges facing humanity. It has brought about fundamental transformations across various fields, making it a cornerstone of the development of modern societies.

Artificial intelligence is an advanced branch of information technology sciences aimed at developing systems capable of simulating human intelligence through high-performance computing and intelligent software. It relies on advanced algorithms and machine learning and deep learning techniques to analyze data, recognize patterns, and make decisions independently´-or-semi-independently based on input data and parameters.

Artificial intelligence also processes and recycles the massive amounts of data generated by users, giving it an increasing capacity for adaptation and self-development. This technology is currently used in a wide range of sectors such as medicine and healthcare, where it contributes to diagnosing diseases and analyzing medical data, education through developing interactive learning systems, as well as industry, economy, media, transportation, logistics, and even security and military sectors, including surveillance, ideological and political control, and weapons development.
When discussing types of artificial intelligence, we can distinguish between different levels of development depending on the nature of comparison.
The most common type today, in comparison with human intelligence, is narrow artificial intelligence, which is used for specific tasks such as real-time translation, image recognition, operating voice assistants, grammar correction, text generation, and more. This type relies on specific data and operates within a defined scope without the ability to go beyond it.

On the other hand, general artificial intelligence is a more advanced concept aimed at creating systems capable of thinking and solving problems across multiple domains in the same way the human brain -function-s. Superintelligent AI, however, is a theoretical future level expected to surpass human abilities in analysis, creativity, and decision-making. But for now, it remains within the realm of science fiction and theoretical studies,´-or-has not been publicly announced yet, as is the case with many technological developments that are usually developed and used secretly for military and security purposes before becoming available to the public.
History shows that the internet and many other advanced technologies were not revealed to the public until years after their use in closed military, intelligence, and industrial environments.

This technology does not operate in a vacuum, it is influenced by the orientations of the companies and governments that develop it, raising fundamental questions about its true nature and who benefits from it.
Accordingly, this technology does not develop in a neutral manner, it reflects the class structure of the system that produced it. Artificial intelligence, as developed today, is not an independent´-or-neutral entity, it is -dir-ectly subject to the dominance of capitalist powers, which steer it in ways that serve their economic, political, social, and ideological interests.
As Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels pointed out in The Communist Manifesto:

"The bourgeoisie has left nothing in common between man and man except naked self-interest, the callous cash payment ... It has turned personal dignity into a mere exchange value, and has transformed everything, including knowledge, into a mere tool for profit."


This applies precisely to artificial intelligence. Despite its role and great importance, it has now been commodified to become a tool for maximizing profits and strengthening class control. The current development of artificial intelligence cannot be understood merely as technical progress, it is part of a system of class domination through which major corporations and capitalist states seek to increase profits, concentrate wealth, and reproduce existing relations of production.

The algorithms powering these systems are ideologically -dir-ected to serve their designers. They are harnessed to maximize productivity, reinforce monopolistic corporate dominance, and entrench capitalist values. As such, these technologies become new tools for exploiting labor and perpetuating social and economic inequalities, rather than means for liberating humanity from the conditions of exploitation.

Artificial intelligence has become a central weapon in the hands of capital. It is used to reduce the need for human labor, exacerbating unemployment´-or-pushing manual and intellectual workers into other sectors, and deepening economic and social disparities.

The monopolization of these technologies gives major corporations unprecedented power to control markets, reshape public opinion and consciousness, and impose comprehensive digital surveillance over individuals and societies. This entrenches a system in which the masses are largely either exploited as data and cheap labor´-or-marginalized by automation.

If the capitalist system continues to dominate artificial intelligence, the outcome could be a deeply polarized and unequal society, where capitalist tech elites hold near-absolute power, while manual and intellectual workers are pushed further toward marginalization and exclusion.



The Capitalist Vision of Artificial Intelligence

1. A Tool for Profit Maximization and Exploitation of Data and Knowledge under Capitalism

Profit Maximization at the Expense of Social Justice and Human Rights

Under the current capitalist system, the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, is -dir-ected toward maximizing profits. These technologies are used as a key tool to increase productivity and reduce costs. However, this often comes at the expense of manual and intellectual workers, who are replaced by algorithms and automated systems, leading to mass layoffs and rising unemployment,´-or-pushing them into other sectors under unstable conditions.

Recent estimates suggest that artificial intelligence could lead to widespread job losses in the coming years, especially in sectors reliant on routine, automatable tasks. For example, in 2023, IBM, one of the world’s largest technology companies, announced it would halt hiring for around 30% of administrative roles (such as human resources), in preparation to replace them with artificial intelligence applications within the next five years. This means that thousands of jobs will be permanently eliminated, as the company believes that routine tasks previously performed by humans can now be managed more efficiently and profitably by machines.

In early 2024, Dropbox, a company specializing in cloud storage services, laid off around 16% of its employees, announcing the move as part of a “restructuring” plan focused on artificial intelligence as a key investment area. Management explained that many tasks previously carried out by humans were now automatable, making it “unnecessary” to retain those workers.

These two examples clearly reflect the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market and the growing risks of unemployment among manual and intellectual workers, especially in the absence,´-or-weakness, of protective policies that safeguard their economic and social rights. The extent of this vulnerability varies according to class power dynamics in each country, the level of development of workers rights, and the role and strength of -union-s and the left.

Meanwhile, productivity gains from automation are channeled toward increasing the profits of major corporations, rather than improving wages´-or-reducing working hours. Those who retain their jobs often find themselves working in precarious environments where most companies enforce harsh policies to raise productivity, exploiting technology to apply additional pressure on the workforce. This profit-driven focus exacerbates class and economic inequality, leaving the vast majority of society to bear the burden of technological transformation, while capitalist elites monopolize the benefits and profits.

Data Exploitation under Digital Capitalism

In addition to the exploitation of manual and intellectual workers in traditional workplaces, digital capitalism has, through technology and artificial intelligence, expanded the scope of exploitation to include personal data, user behavior, and preferences.
This data has become a commodity through which capitalist elites accumulate profits, without any -dir-ect compensation to the users who generate it. These data are used to shape political and economic policies, guide consumption, and ensure the reproduction of capitalist hegemony.

For example, the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed how the data of tens of millions of Facebook users were exploited and sold without their knowledge to influence U.S. elections by targeting them with political ads based on behavioral profiling.

Companies like Google and Amazon generate tens of billions of dollars annually from targeted advertising that relies on analyzing data freely produced by users. In 2021 alone, Facebook’s revenue from digital advertising reached -$-117 billion, collected without any meaningful participation of users in those profits.

This model of exploitation represents an in-dir-ect form of unpaid labor, in which individuals unknowingly produce vast economic value that is seized by monopolistic corporations. These corporations not only exploit data, but also dominate the digital infrastructure itself, creating a new kind of digital feudalism. Just as feudal lords monopolized land in the Middle Ages, today’s tech giants monopolize digital systems, imposing their conditions on users and denying them any real control over the tools of digital production.

In the industrial economy, exploitation occurred through wages that failed to reflect the real value of labor. In the digital economy, human behavior and data have become the new sources of value. Every click, search, and interaction becomes raw material that digital capitalism accumulates, without any legal´-or-contractual recognition.
Digital exploitation is no longer-limit-ed to low-paid manual and intellectual labor, it now includes the users themselves, who have become invisible digital laborers.

Digital capitalism hides this exploitation behind the rhetoric of “free access,” creating the illusion that users are receiving useful services at no cost, while in reality, their data are being extracted and monetized for massive profit.
Apps like TikTok and Instagram encourage users to spend more time interacting with content while collecting and selling their data to advertisers without providing users with any share of the profits. The same applies to so-called “free protection” programs like AVG, which collect sensitive information under the guise of “improving service and virus protection,” only to sell it later to marketing and advertising firms.

Data analysis is not only used in advertising, it is also employed to train AI systems, develop new applications that further consolidate corporate dominance over knowledge, and influence the economy, social relationships, and more, all without users having any control over their data´-or-a claim to the value and profits they help generate.

Even more troubling, this model erases the boundary between work time and leisure time. Every moment spent online becomes a continuous act of data production, even during entertainment, social interaction, and cultural engagement. The internet itself has become a 24/7 digital factory operating under capitalist logic and digital feudalism, where tech companies no longer just provide services, they set the very rules governing the digital space, forcing users to work within their monopolistic systems, with no control over digital production tools and no awareness of the exploitation they are subjected to.

Digital Surplus Value and Traditional Surplus Value

Surplus value is the core of capitalist exploitation, it is the difference between the value produced by the worker and the wage they receive. But this concept is not fixed-;- it changes based on the prevailing mode of production. Today, we can distinguish between two main types: traditional surplus value and digital surplus value, which differ in their underlying productive and exploitative relationships.

First: Traditional Surplus Value

In the traditional industrial model, surplus value is extracted from the labor of manual and intellectual workers in production sites such as factories, farms, offices, and service chains. These workers operate under -dir-ect labor contracts and receive wages that are significantly lower than the actual value they produce. Capital owns the means of production and employs labor power to generate profit through control over working time.

For example, in smart device factories operated by major global corporations like Apple and Samsung, hundreds of thousands of workers in Southeast Asia work long hours for low wages that barely cover basic living costs, while these companies make massive profits. In 2023, Apple’s profits exceeded -$-100 billion, most of which came from selling products produced under intense labor conditions and exploitative work environments.

Second: Digital Surplus Value

In the digital model, surplus value is extracted in more hidden and complex ways. This model does not rely solely on paid labor, but on the daily activities of users within the digital space.
Every click, search, like, share, voice command,´-or-app usage generates data that is used to generate vast profits through advertising, algorithm training, product development, and behavioral analysis. This data is also used in political, economic, social, intellectual, and even military and security domains.

Here, there is no labor contract, no wage, and not even recognition of the user’s productive role. Digital capitalism does not purchase labor time, it extracts value from everyday life itself, disguising this exploitation behind the façade of “free service.” Even when some services are offered for free´-or-at symbolic prices, they are often-limit-ed in -function-ality and primarily serve as tools for collecting more user data to maximize profits and reinforce control.

Real-world examples of this form of digital surplus value extraction include social media platforms, where users produce free content that attracts massive engagement, which is then sold to advertisers and generates huge profits for the platforms, while most content creators receive a minimal share, if any. This also applies to services like Google Maps, which rely on location data generated by users to improve the service and sell it to commercial clients, again, without compensating those who provided the data.
Voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri record and analyze voice commands to improve AI systems´-or-sell the data to advertisers and marketers, without users having the slightest awareness that they are -dir-ectly contributing to the production of digital surplus value.
Third: Analytical Comparison Between the Two Models




Fourth: Conclusion
Digital capitalism does not eliminate traditional surplus value-;- rather, it adds a new, more concealed form, where surplus is extracted from users daily digital interactions, not from recognized physical´-or-intellectual labor. Living time and leisure space are transformed into invisible labor, from which value is extracted without wages, contracts,´-or-control over digital means of production.
Thus, the production of digital surplus value includes everyone, not just a specific category of manual and intellectual workers, but even “ordinary users” who unknowingly contribute to feeding a massive productive system that accumulates profits for monopolistic corporations.
In this way, everyday life and human behavior themselves, not just wage labor, become primary sources of capital accumulation in the most advanced form of exploitation.

Knowledge Economy
Under the capitalist system, industrial, agricultural, and commercial production are no longer the sole sources of economic value, knowledge has become the new fuel of capitalism.
The knowledge economy, which was supposed to be a tool for liberating humanity and improving life, has been restructured into a new monopolistic mechanism used to deepen class and digital inequality and reinforce the control of major corporations and states over the tools of digital production, where the small minority that owns technology controls the fate of the majority.
Capitalist elites monopolize most tools of knowledge, from patents, advanced research, algorithms, software, and operating systems to major digital platforms, imposing near-total dependence on their digital products instead of transforming these technologies into collectively owned resources that serve all.
Even academic and scientific institutions, supposed to be spaces for the production of free knowledge, have become subject to market logic, where scientific research is sold to major institutions, and the general public is denied access unless they pay, reinforcing the commodification of science and knowledge instead of treating them as shared human rights.
Capitalism does not only seek to monopolize knowledge, it also works to systematically produce ignorance through control over educational curricula and digital content, guiding the masses toward intellectual flattening.
The internet, which could have been a revolutionary tool for spreading critical awareness, has become a space almost entirely owned by major states and monopolistic corporations that control the flow of information and knowledge in all its forms, according to their economic, political, and ideological interests.




2. Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for Domination and Control Over Labor
The capitalist system does not merely use artificial intelligence to boost productivity and profits, it also employs it as a tool to entrench class control and subject manual and intellectual workers to stricter mechanisms of surveillance and regulation. The use of artificial intelligence in the workplace is not only aimed at improving performance but is also designed to intensify exploitation and accumulate profits at the expense of workers’ freedom and rights.
With the development of intelligent algorithms, companies can now track every move made by workers, through productivity tracking systems, data analysis,´-or-performance speed and efficiency metrics. These tools are often used to pressure workers, reduce break times, and impose exhausting work rhythms, turning them into cogs in a tireless capitalist machine.
This new mode of surveillance may create a harsher work environment, where workers become mere variables in the equation of artificial intelligence, with little control over their working conditions.
Additionally, algorithms are used in hiring and firing processes. Big data is analyzed to determine who deserves to be hired´-or-retained and who can be replaced. This leads to an unstable work dynamic, where many workers are marginalized and easily discarded based on rigid quantitative standards, with no regard for human´-or-social aspects.
For example, AI software is used by major recruitment companies like LinkedIn to analyze resumes and automatically screen candidates, which results in in-dir-ect discrimination against those from less privileged backgrounds. Algorithms tend to favor candidates who align with capitalist labor market patterns, while ignoring those with unconventional skills´-or-experience outside mainstream norms.
This shift not only raises unemployment rates and job insecurity by pushing workers into other sectors, but also reinforces the model of “replaceable labor,” where workers are easily discarded once deemed less efficient than digital´-or-automated alternatives, thus making the labor market more fragile and exploitation deeper.
For example, in Amazon warehouses, AI systems are used to monitor worker movements, track productivity rates, and determine who meets targets and who lags behind. Many are fired based on inhumane criteria that ignore their health´-or-social conditions.
This also applies to platform companies like Uber, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats, where drivers entire working lives are governed by AI algorithms that assign orders, schedule hours, determine visibility on the app, and even decide who gets to work, whose account is frozen,´-or-whose income is cut based on customer ratings, trip counts,´-or-delays, without human oversight´-or-consideration of personal circumstances.
In this model, algorithms and artificial intelligence become the actual manager, judge, and executioner, while workers are left without legal protection´-or--union- rights in an extremely fragile and exploitative digital labor market. This has led to strikes and protests in several countries, demanding recognition of platform workers as “employees” rather than “independent contractors,” and the guarantee of basic rights such as minimum wage, health insurance, and the right to organize.

3. Shaping Consciousness to Promote Neoliberal Capitalist Culture
In addition to using artificial intelligence to maximize profits and reinforce social control, this technology is systematically employed to shape and gradually guide individual consciousness, with the goal of promoting capitalist culture and values, especially the glorification of Western civilization, and more specifically, American capitalist values.
By analyzing user data and behavior, algorithms are used to control the content shown to users across digital platforms like social media networks, search engines, and others. These systems are designed to feed individuals content aligned with values that support the capitalist worldview, policies, and ideology.
For example, on most digital platforms, advertisements and promotional content encourage users to buy more products, even when they have no real need for them. Capitalist values are promoted, such as the eternal sanctity of private property, class disparity, individual success, wealth, consumerism, and luxurious lifestyles as the -benchmark- for a “successful” life. Another example is Google’s search algorithms, which rank results based on market logic and paid advertising rather than on social, intellectual,´-or-scientific relevance.
When searching for terms like “success,” “self-development,”´-or-even “happiness,” the top results are linked to self-help companies, paid courses, and consumerist advice focused on individualism and profit, while serious scholarly analyses and progressive leftist ideas are downplayed,´-or-even outright hidden, through -dir-ect´-or-in-dir-ect censorship in many cases.
This gradually and subtly steers collective consciousness toward accepting these values as natural and inevitable. The process unfolds over a long period and in such a soft, imperceptible manner that most users, including leftist and progressive thinkers, come to believe these tools are completely neutral. This policy poses a significant threat to future generations, for whom artificial intelligence has become an integral part of daily life. These refined methods and policies contribute to further entrenching capitalist hegemony and increasing the loyalty and submission of the masses to the existing system.

4. The Impact of Overdependence on Artificial Intelligence

The Breakdown of Human Skills and the Deepening of Digital Alienation and Estrangement

In addition to the role that artificial intelligence plays in reshaping mass consciousness, there is another dimension that remains largely unstudied and unregulated under international law, especially amidst the frenzied race among major powers and monopolistic capitalist corporations to dominate AI markets. This dimension concerns the negative impact of overreliance on AI on human intellectual and creative capacities. Technological development is now largely -dir-ected toward domination, profit-making, and competition for technical supremacy, without considering the profound effects these shifts may have on humanity.
Artificial intelligence is promoted as a tool for making life easier and boosting productivity. However, reality shows that uncritical dependence on these technologies may lead to a shallowing of awareness and a weakening of essential human skills. Over time, humans, especially the younger generations, may become less capable of critical thinking, performing calculations, writing, and even basic communication, due to excessive reliance on smart systems that perform these tasks on their behalf.
In this context, human alienation is reproduced in a new digital form, where individuals become separated from their intellectual and creative faculties, trapped within a technological system that strips them of autonomous agency, much like industrial workers were alienated from their products under traditional capitalism.
Humans may gradually become subordinate to algorithms that guide their daily interactions, dictate what they read and watch, and even shape how they think. This may lead to generations that lack the capacity to engage with reality independently, with artificial intelligence becoming the primary interface between the individual and the world, reinforcing their dependence on systems, companies, and states controlled by capital.
This digital alienation does not stop at the productive level-;- it extends to a much deeper dimension, alienation from the self, from consciousness, and from social relationships. Personal and cultural identity becomes a mere reflection of algorithms designed to serve the market.
The danger here is not-limit-ed to the loss of individual skills, it extends to the reshaping of collective consciousness in ways that align with the demands of capitalist markets. This weakens people’s ability to organize, resist, and demand radical change by gradually pushing them into isolated digital bubbles where human interaction is reduced to platforms that control the flow of information and reshape social relations in the service of domination.
Digital Addiction

Within this framework, digital addiction emerges as one of the most dangerous consequences of the expansion of artificial intelligence. A scientific study conducted by researchers at the University of California in 2020 found that excessive use of digital platforms and social media, driven by AI algorithms, causes changes in the brain similar to those caused by drug addiction, specifically in areas responsible for decision-making and behavioral control. These algorithms are deliberately designed to capture users’ attention and keep them connected for as long as possible.
Social media, entertainment apps, and other digital systems are not merely service platforms, they are tools consciously used to reinforce behavioral and cognitive dependency. Massive data sets are exploited to understand and manipulate users’ motivations in ways that serve the economic interests of corporations and major states.
This digital addiction does not only waste time´-or-impact productivity, it also creates a new form of estrangement through addiction, as individuals gradually lose the ability to live outside the digital framework. It can result in reduced focus, declining problem-solving skills, weakened memory, and the deterioration of -dir-ect human communication.
Capitalism exploits this addiction in multiple ways, investing in technologies that stimulate addictive behavior to ensure users remain in continuous interaction with digital platforms. This turns into a vicious cycle where profits are generated by keeping individuals in a constant state of passive consumption, boosting corporate revenue at the expense of mental and psychological health, especially among younger generations. Over time, this may erode their ability for independent thinking and collective action.
A Form of Voluntary Digital Slavery

Class dominance deepens as artificial intelligence shifts from a technological tool into a mechanism for reproducing patterns of social, political, and economic control. If this model continues, it could lead to humanitarian disasters, as humans gradually lose their ability to confront complex challenges and become captives to technologies controlled by capitalist elites and major powers.
What makes this control more dangerous is its voluntary nature. Individuals, motivated by algorithmic manipulation and a desire for convenience, are drawn into this digital slavery without -dir-ect coercion. They are given the illusion of control and choice, while their decisions are subtly -dir-ected toward predetermined paths that serve capitalist interests.
This submission does not stem from conscious agreement, but from increasing reliance on technologies that become artificial substitutes for human relationships and independent cognitive processes. This leads to a state of digital estrangement in which people identify with the very tools that dominate them, rather than resisting them.
If this dynamic continues unchecked, without collective resistance rooted in progressive leftist awareness, current artificial intelligence may gradually evolve from being merely a tool of capitalism into a substitute for human cognition, governing daily life and imposing a new form of voluntary digital slavery.
In this scenario, individuals become trapped within technological systems that define their roles and behaviors, restrict their capacity to make independent decisions, and push them to accept this dominance as an inevitable reality.
Machine Rebellion and AI’s Control Over Humanity

Future scenarios have long imagined a world ruled by machines, where humans lose control over the technologies they created and become mere cogs in a system that serves dominant powers. Once the realm of philosophy´-or-science fiction films, this vision has become increasingly realistic amid the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and the absence of effective international legal frameworks to regulate and control it.
One of the most serious and complex issues posed by the development of AI is the possibility that it could evolve beyond human intelligence, becoming an autonomous entity outside human control and even dominant over humanity. Once it surpasses its original programming-limit-s, AI may become a system that independently makes fateful decisions in areas such as economics, politics, and daily life, without human oversight.
Under capitalism, AI is being developed to serve capital accumulation and reinforce class domination, subject to brutal market competition, making the loss of control not only possible but highly likely and dangerous, especially given the lightning-fast pace of its development that far outstrips any efforts to regulate´-or-contain it within legal´-or-societal frameworks. It is designed as a tool with enormous capabilities, but without any “cage” to-limit- its misuses´-or-runaway growth, which could turn it into an autonomous force working against societal interests instead of serving them.
This scenario is not foreign to cinema. Many films have addressed the idea, for example, Terminator, in which machines declare war on humans after achieving self-awareness-;- The Matrix, which depicts a world where humanity is enslaved by AI and used as an energy source-;- and I, Robot, which explores the rebellion of robots against humans after gaining independent reasoning. The “rebellion” of artificial intelligence may not remain fiction, it may manifest in policies imposed through digital systems without any regard for human needs. What we witness today is not the classic domination of robots over humans, yet , but it could evolve into a new model of digital control, based on total automation and algorithmic governance of everyday life, turning societies into entities managed and dominated by intelligent systems and machines.




5. Artificial Intelligence and the Third World
The effects of artificial intelligence are not-limit-ed to developed countries, they also extend to the Global South, where it is treated as a base of raw resources and massive consumer markets employed to serve global capitalism. Rather than contributing to the independent development of these countries, these technologies are -dir-ected in ways that reinforce economic, political, intellectual, and technological dependency, deepening the exploitation of these societies in favor of the dominant states and corporations driving AI development.
Monopolistic corporations seek to exploit both data and human resources in the Global South without offering fair value in return. While artificial intelligence is publicly promoted as a tool for development, it is, in reality, used to extract data and turn populations into free sources of information.
Massive amounts of data are absorbed through digital apps, tracking systems, and social media platforms, each interaction becomes raw material processed to benefit powerful nations and monopolistic corporations, with little to no social return for local populations.
"Charitable" and "humanitarian" initiatives led by some states and major tech firms are used to deepen capitalist control over the Global South. These corporations work hard to bring internet access to every corner of the world, particularly to developing nations, even before providing electricity, clean water,´-or-basic services.
One example is the Internet.org project launched by Meta (formerly Facebook) in partnership with six other tech companies under the slogan “Connecting the Unconnected.” It offered-limit-ed, curated internet access in some countries, restricted to the platforms and services of the sponsoring company and its partners, rather than providing a free and open internet. Instead of empowering users, they were turned into captive consumers within a closed digital environment where their interactions are constantly monitored and exploited for profit.
This reveals that the true goal of such projects is not to improve living standards´-or-develop infrastructure, but to promote commercial interests, expand ideological control, and turn every individual into a permanent consumer and data source.
These policies do not bridge the digital divide-;- rather, they reproduce colonialism, now in digital form. These countries become entirely dependent on foreign states and companies for technology and digital services, instead of building local capabilities to meet their real needs.
This entrenches reliance on proprietary software and foreign cloud infrastructure, especially those belonging to Western powers with a long history of colonial exploitation.
In the global race for technological dominance, authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere in the Global South have not remained on the sidelines, particularly the wealthy Gulf monarchies. These states have invested billions of dollars in their own AI initiatives, receiving -dir-ect support from major powers and monopolistic companies that have long considered them strategic allies for advancing economic and geopolitical interests.
Though promoted as part of a “digital transformation” and “technological modernization” of their societies, these investments serve to reinforce dictatorial rule, expand surveillance capabilities, and tighten political, social, and ideological control over their populations.
These regimes use AI to develop systems of mass surveillance, analyze big data, and suppress any dissent. Facial recognition, voice analysis, and behavioral prediction technologies are used to identify and neutralize opposition before it can even act. Through these systems, authoritarian governments can monitor and spy on citizens through both digital channels and public spaces.
Despite superficial rhetoric around democracy and human rights, Western states and major corporations continue to support such regimes because they serve their own economic and political dominance. Monopolistic tech companies play a -dir-ect role in this repression, either by selling the technology itself (similar to arms and torture devices),´-or-by providing consulting, technical support, and infrastructure for the AI systems these regimes rely on. These systems are freely developed and deployed in authoritarian states allied with global capitalism, becoming -dir-ect tools for reproducing and reinforcing autocratic power.
6. Gender Bias and the Lack of Full Equality in Artificial Intelligence
Despite the general perception of AI as gender-neutral, a closer look reveals that gender biases embedded in algorithms and intelligent systems clearly show how most AI applications reproduce gender discrimination and inequality.
The male-centered language and unequal nature of these technologies reflect the cultural and social biases fed into them by capitalist corporations and patriarchal governments that developed them, at varying levels depending on language, and the degree of women’s rights and gender equality in each country.
Artificial intelligence is not inherently masculine, but it feeds on the data of a patriarchal capitalist society. Algorithms are trained on datasets that often reflect stereotypical thinking and reinforce gender inequality, such as the use of male-dominated language and traditional perceptions of gender roles in work and society.
For example, a 2019 study by Carnegie Mellon University found that job ads on Facebook and Google tended to show higher-paying technical and engineering jobs more often to men than to women.
Similarly, in 2018, Reuters revealed that Amazon’s AI-based recruitment system automatically favored male candidates over females in evaluating job applications for tech roles. The algorithm was trained on historical hiring data that reflected a structural bias within the company, where men had historically held the majority of technical positions. As a result, the system downgraded resumes that included the word “women”´-or-referenced feminist activities.
Moreover, voice-based systems like smart assistants are typically programmed with female voices and service-oriented roles, reinforcing the stereotype of women as “submissive”´-or-“helpers” rather than equal partners. For instance, virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant default to female voices and respond to criticism in polite, submissive tones, reinforcing the cultural norm that associates women with service and support.
Currently, some Middle Eastern countries are investing billions in developing AI projects according to conservative patriarchal religious values, further embedding gender biases into these systems. For example, some Arabic voice assistants have been developed using male voices instead of female ones to avoid the stereotype of women as “submissive,” according to certain conservative religious interpretations.
Many digital systems in these countries also restrict women’s presence in digital content´-or-reflect traditional views that minimize women’s roles in society. For example, some authoritarian governments use AI systems to monitor social behavior and enforce moral standards inspired by patriarchal religious values, such as restricting images of unveiled women´-or-limiting their visibility in search results and ads. One of the most extreme examples of this exploitation is the development of AI systems to monitor women s clothing, analyzing images and videos to determine whether they conform to imposed religious dress codes. In Iran, for instance, digital systems have been adopted to track women’s compliance with mandatory hijab laws.
The underrepresentation of women in AI design and development, the lack of effective feminist and progressive participation in the field, and the male-dominated nature of development teams all exacerbate the problem. According to a report by the AI Now Institute, women represent only 15% of AI researchers at Facebook and just 10% at Google, meaning that most AI technologies are developed by male teams, which entrenches gender bias within algorithms.
Technology in this context not only reflects gender biases, it reproduces and amplifies them, hindering progress toward equality and deepening gender divides instead of closing them. These systems reinforce stereotypes and perpetuate discrimination against women. This is not merely a technical issue, it is a reflection of a deeper social crisis that reaffirms patterns of inequality and discrimination within the digital realm.

7. Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for Political Control, Repression, and Human Rights Violations

Digital Surveillance and Control

Digital corporations, in collaboration with major powers, monitor individuals’ movements via smart devices and various communication channels. Virtually all digital activities, including supposedly private meetings, are subject to constant tracking and analysis. In reality, no digital space is fully secure-;- data is systematically collected and used to evaluate and classify individuals and groups based on their behavior, intellectual tendencies, and political orientations.
Moreover, digital surveillance has become a central tool for tracking users’ ideological and political leanings, enabling companies and governments to follow and target them through organized disinformation campaigns´-or-digital sanctions that-limit- and reduce their influence in public opinion.
These strategies are systematically and covertly applied against labor -union-s, leftist organizations, and independent human rights and media institutions.
These groups face increasing restrictions that-limit- the spread of their ideas in the public digital sphere through subtle and hard-to-detect methods.
Algorithms are precisely employed to restrict the reach of leftist and progressive political content, not by deleting it outright, but by reducing its visibility. This makes digital repression more complex, dangerous, and invisible.
The low engagement with progressive content appears to be a natural audience response, when in fact, it results from pre-programmed algorithms designed to-limit- its reach. This creates a false impression among activists that their ideas lack interest´-or-popularity, leading them to reconsider´-or-abandon their positions.

Digital Defeatism

Digital defeatism is a new and sophisticated tool for class domination. Algorithms and AI are used methodically, imperceptibly, and gradually over time to spread content that reinforces feelings of helplessness and surrender, especially among leftist and progressive users.
This mechanism amplifies the perceived failures of socialist experiments and leftist organizations, portraying capitalism as an eternal, invincible system and reinforcing the notion that change is impossible. It also promotes individualism and market-driven solutions such as consumption and self-development, isolating individuals from any form of organized collective political action.
Additionally, discussions within leftist organizations are diverted toward marginal internal conflicts, which fragment efforts and weaken their ability to resist. Major corporations rely on behavioral analysis to target individuals and groups with content that fosters despair and convinces them that socialist change is impossible´-or-futile.
These policies are not accidental, they are deliberate, scientific methods designed to suppress´-or-weaken the spirit of change and ensure that the capitalist system remains unchallenged and intact.

Digital Arrest and Assassination

Digital arrest represents a more dangerous phase than mere surveillance and control. It goes beyond restricting content visibility to include arbitrary suspension of individual and group accounts, temporarily´-or-permanently, in what can be considered a form of digital assassination. This is carried out without transparency, clear standards,´-or-local´-or-international laws that protect users’ rights. Justifications like “violating community standards”´-or-“promoting violence” are often used to silence voices, even when the content documents capitalist crimes committed by states´-or-corporations,´-or-human rights violations.
A striking example is the digital repression targeting Palestinian content documenting Israeli crimes against civilians. During the recent Israeli assault on Gaza, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others deleted´-or-banned hundreds of accounts and posts documenting the occupation’s crimes, under the pretext of “violating community guidelines”´-or-“promoting terrorism”, even though the content accurately documented war crimes verified by human rights organizations. Independent media outlets were also targeted by restricting their reach´-or-deleting their accounts entirely, in a clear attempt to silence voices exposing violations against Palestinian civilians.

Voluntary Self-Censorship

Digital repression and content suppression are accompanied by a phenomenon of “voluntary self-censorship,” where individuals and even groups begin to censor themselves, adjusting´-or-toning down their political discourse, shifting to general theoretical topics, and avoiding -dir-ect confrontation with capitalism´-or-authoritarian regimes.
This happens out of fear that their posts will be restricted´-or-that they’ll face digital arrest´-or-assassination through AI-driven account suspensions on digital platforms.
This fear undermines freedom of expression and becomes a powerful factor in reshaping and policing public discourse even before any actual restrictions are imposed. It strengthens capitalist ideological dominance, reduces the space for digital resistance, and transforms the internet into a self-regulated space aligned with the interests of ruling powers.
For example, during mass protests in various countries against capitalist policies and authoritarian regimes, and more generally to varying degrees, many users noticed that their posts containing terms like “general strike,” “civil disobedience,” “revolution,”´-or-documentation of human rights violations received far less reach than usual. Meanwhile, general analytical posts about economics and politics were not similarly affected.
As a result, many activists began avoiding terms classified by platforms as “incendiary,” leading to a softening of public discourse, reducing its revolutionary edge, and thus weakening the role of social media as a tool for political mobilization and mass organizing.




8. The Erosion of Democracy Through Artificial Intelligence
After gaining control over human minds and consciousness through digitization, artificial intelligence has evolved from a profit-maximizing capitalist tool into a central instrument for weakening, and even undermining, what remains of bourgeois democracy, instead of supporting´-or-advancing it.
This is true despite the already-limit-ed credibility of democratic systems in many countries, where democracy is shaped by political money, biased electoral laws serving specific interests, and other factors.
Rather than encouraging informed public participation in political life, digitization and AI are being used to reshape and manipulate public opinion in favor of ruling class interests, affecting elections, narrowing the space for free debate, and steering political and media discourse to serve dominant capitalist powers.
Class control over AI means that this technology, originally presumed to support transparency and democracy, is in fact used to produce and promote narratives that protect the existing capitalist order.
Big data analytics and smart algorithms are exploited to steer political information in ways that benefit capitalist institutions, right-wing and neo-fascist parties, and authoritarian regimes. This undermines the public’s ability to make political decisions based on genuine critical awareness.
Under capitalism, AI is not used to empower the public´-or-enhance conscious, transparent decision-making. Rather, it serves as a tool for distorting the truth, reproducing propaganda, and spreading media disinformation that erodes the very foundation of democracy, based on transparency, access to information, and intellectual and political pluralism. Targeted content is delivered based on behavioral analysis, generating artificial public opinion that reinforces class hegemony and deepens political and social polarization.
This doesn’t just mislead voters, it reshapes the political conversation itself, stripping it of substance and saturating it with propaganda that supports capitalism and its right-wing ideas.
The influence of AI goes beyond mere manipulation of information, it becomes a central mechanism in reproducing political power under capitalism. Through algorithm-driven campaign management, designing political discourse to align with capital interests, and influencing voters’ choices via microtargeting, opposition voices are neutralized, and leftist-progressive democratic alternatives are weakened.
A recent example is the intervention of right-wing billionaire Elon Musk in the 2025 German elections via his platform “X” (formerly Twitter), where he -dir-ectly supported the far-right party “Alternative for Germany.” This was done by promoting AI-generated content that swayed public opinion and reproduced political polarization in favor of far-right and neo-Nazi forces.
In such a landscape, elections no longer reflect the public will, not even relatively. Instead, they become arenas of conflict among major powers, monopolistic forces, and financial elites, who use the internet and AI as tools for political and ideological dominance. This corrupts democratic mechanisms and political pluralism, either weakening progressive voices´-or-pushing the public toward false alternatives that ultimately reproduce the same capitalist system, with, at best, superficial change.
9. The Environmental Impact of Artificial Intelligence Under Capitalism
Climate change and environmental destruction are among the most prominent outcomes of capitalism. Today, artificial intelligence has become yet another tool for draining the planet’s resources and accelerating ecological degradation. Though marketed as a symbol of progress, this technology is managed in a way that serves capitalist interests, without real commitment to environmental protection´-or-climate justice.
For instance, reports indicate that Google’s data center in Iowa consumes approximately 3.3 billion liters of water annually to cool its servers, depleting local water supplies in areas already struggling with freshwater scarcity.
AI systems rely on massive data centers that rank among the world’s largest energy consumers. These centers run around the clock to process enormous datasets and train algorithms, consuming vast amounts of electricity, much of it still sourced from fossil fuels.
According to the International Energy Agency, global data centers consumed an estimated 240–340 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2022, equivalent to 1–1.3% of total global electricity demand,´-or-the annual energy consumption of a country like Argentina. Although some tech giants claim to invest in renewable energy, the unchecked expansion of AI systems leads to carbon emissions at levels that far exceed the benefits of any partial environmental solutions promoted.
The production of AI hardware is also tied to the capitalist exploitation of natural resources. Advanced chips and processors require the extraction of large quantities of rare minerals, most of which come from the Global South under harsh, inhumane working conditions.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, tens of thousands of workers, including children, mine cobalt for lithium batteries without safety equipment, exposed to toxic heavy metals that cause severe and chronic illnesses. Similarly, lithium extraction in Chile has reduced groundwater levels in arid areas by 65%, causing farmland to dry up and displacing local communities from their traditional livelihoods.
These practices not only destroy local ecosystems, they also displace Indigenous peoples, contaminate water and food supplies, and expose poor communities to toxic chemicals and disease, all while capitalist companies generate massive profits with no real accountability.
As part of capitalism’s production-consumption cycle, electronic devices are constantly upgraded, producing massive volumes of electronic waste. Most of this waste is not recycled safely but is exported to developing countries where it accumulates, creating environmental disasters. For example, Ghana has become one of the world’s largest dumping grounds for e-waste, where massive amounts of discarded electronics are burned to extract valuable metals, releasing toxic gases that pollute air, water, and soil, and contribute to rising cancer rates and other health problems among workers and local residents.
Expanding AI infrastructure requires building more data centers and communication towers, accelerating deforestation, ecosystem destruction, and biodiversity loss. Thousands of acres of forest have already been cleared in several Global South countries to make way for tech facilities, leading to the loss of critical habitats for endangered species.
While AI is promoted as a tool for building industrialized climate environments to enhance productivity in agriculture and industry, forcibly altering natural ecosystems using this technology could pose catastrophic environmental risks. Artificial manipulation of climate and geology, without respecting natural balance, could lead to unpredictable disasters, including intensified earthquakes and landslides.
Modern capitalism, which falsely claims to care about the environment, is no different from earlier forms of exploitation. Most technological expansions, especially in AI, come at the expense of nature, destroying ecosystems in various ways to serve the interests of powerful states and monopolistic corporations.

10. The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Warfare and the Development of Lethal Weapons
Modern AI technologies reveal how this field is being -dir-ected toward enhancing military supremacy rather than promoting peace and development. Today, AI is a core part of the global arms race, used to develop smart weapons and technologies capable of carrying out military operations without -dir-ect human intervention.
This shift increases the risk of more destructive, inhumane conflicts, reducing the need for human judgment in deploying lethal force, making wars faster, more complex, and less predictable.
As human decision-making is minimized in combat scenarios, the likelihood of conflict escalation rises, along with widespread violations of international humanitarian law and greater civilian casualties. Killing and destruction become algorithmic decisions executed without human, ethical,´-or-political review, without accountability.
The United States, China, Russia, and others have developed AI-powered drones capable of autonomous combat decision-making. These systems can be programmed to strike targets based on data analysis, raising serious concerns about catastrophic errors due to algorithmic bias´-or-programming faults. Many arms companies are now investing in AI-based military systems marketed as “weapons of the future.”
These technologies are not-limit-ed to conventional battlefields, they extend into cyberwarfare, where AI is used to attack critical national infrastructure such as financial systems, energy grids, water supplies, and essential services. This magnifies destruction, deepens global crises, and worsens civilian suffering. Some nations and non-state actors have already used AI in cyberattacks, as seen in widespread blackouts caused by AI-driven strikes on electricity and water networks.
One of the most alarming recent examples of AI-driven warfare is the latest Israeli assault on Gaza. The Israeli military employed advanced AI systems to targets and execute airstrikes on Palestinians. Investigative reports revealed the use of a system called "Lavender," an advanced AI tool that analyzes intelligence data at high speed and prioritizes bombing targets through algorithms, without regard for humanitarian considerations.
During this brutal assault, extensive bombing of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, under the pretense of striking “military targets.” Human rights organizations confirmed that these attacks were part of a systematic policy of mass destruction and ethnic cleansing through advanced technology.
These crimes would not have been possible without support from states and major tech corporations, which provide Israel with digital infrastructure and the algorithms powering its military operations. Companies like Google and Microsoft have signed contracts with the Israeli military to provide cloud computing and AI services as part of Project Nimbus, designed to enhance Israel’s technical capabilities in surveillance, espionage, targeting, and destruction.
All wars, regardless of the tools used, are cruel and inhumane. They destroy societies and annihilate innocent lives for the benefit of dominant powers. In this context, major corporations, working alongside capitalist governments and authoritarian regimes, exploit AI to advance military supremacy and profit massively from selling smart weapons.
These technologies are used to develop tools of destruction that further destabilize the world. AI in warfare does not make it more “precise”´-or-“less harmful”, it reinforces the inhumanity of war, turning life-and-death decisions into algorithmic executions devoid of ethics.

*[Based on ideas from my book Capitalist Artificial Intelligence: Challenges for the Left and Possible Alternatives – Technology in the Service of Capital´-or-a Tool for Liberation?– available in multiple languages]

Related topic:
The Leftist Alternative to Artificial Intelligence
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-leftist-alternative-to-artificial-intelligence/

Sources


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Source:
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-capitalist-vision-of-artificial-intelligence-profit-power-and-control/

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