Campaigners have long feared the influence of big money and influential corporations in politics – with this situation arguably worse than ever. In modern times, lobbying by technology companies has even given way to technology executives playing a role in devising government policy.
“The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”
The path to progress
At the end of his two-term presidency, Dwight D Eisenhower used his final address to the American people to warn about the dangers that he foresaw lying ahead.
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In particular, the military veteran warned about the rise of a new elite in society dominated by figures in science and technology, whose power would come to overwhelm democratically elected officials. He also suggested that the path of progress would be wrought with a lack of morals and ethics, with projects pursued in the name of progress regardless of the consequences to society at large.
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A major component of this would be that the pursuit of major government contracts would dominate the scientific world, whereby the pursuit of money would dampen any genuine curiosity and lead to fewer meaningful discoveries.
The dawn of Silicon Valley
The former US president’s warnings have largely come to fruition, first with the rise of Silicon Valley elites during the original internet age and now, subsequently, these forces are arguably entrenching their power in the AI era.
Technology companies have spent billions of dollars collectively on lobbying the government, with a small handful of companies including Microsoft, Meta, X and Snap channeling more than $260 million between 2020 and 2024.
The Trump administration has taken this influence one step further by giving vested interests a seat at the table and in the heart of government.
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