Where the Biggest Lies Will Come from in 2024

The Israel Palestine conflict has reopened one of society’s widest and deepest latter-day schisms, augmented by ghastly truths such as Hellfire R9X missiles, and grisly lies like beheaded babies. Even people far away from the region find themselves passionately fighting with friends and family over who represents good and evil. Because everyone, near and far, has been handed their own weapon. And it has equal capabilities for both defence and attack; the internet.

But although the internet during conflict events tends to reflect visual and moral extremities in society – making it easier for onlookers to choose sides – an equally damaging threat is lurking. An event which is going to make it harder to choose sides because of the deployment of exactly the same weapon. The elections. Specifically, the 2024 elections in the United States and Great Britain. The internet is, once again, going to show why the words United and Great have become rather dubious adjectives. But there’s also a new weapon which has been introduced to the upcoming elections; AI. Purists may argue that AI existed four years ago during the last elections. Ah yes, my dear nitpickers, but that is like saying there’s no difference between a conventional bomb and a nuclear bomb. Such has been the pace at which AI has developed recently.

So this is where the biggest lies will come from in 2024. Not that this hasn’t been the case since elections were in existence. So the active word here is not ‘lies’, it’s ‘biggest’. We won’t even be aware, most of the time, that we’re being lied to during the elections or even the runup. The main reason for this is that AI technology will be at the fulcrum of every political narrative. AI technology and jobs, AI technology and education, AI technology and war, AI technology and food. AI technology will be brandished like the Sword of Damocles and the Cup of Plenty like at no time in history. That’s the great/worst thing about the word technology.

You Don’t Have to Prove it, You Only Have to Say it

Earlier this week, UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch commented on the possibility of a £30b investment deal. A deal which would provide 12,000 new jobs in the tech sector. She proclaimed, “Today is yet another huge vote of confidence in our dynamic, pro-business and highly innovative economy and proves that our plan for growth is working”. A few things here. First, a physics issue. Since when did potential become kinetic, as in ‘possibility’ become ‘proof’. Second, obviously, is a perverse challenge to every single forecast concerning British people’s inability to afford even scaled-down festivities this Christmas, not to mention facing an epic tax burden. And third, dangling the carrot of jobs in the tech sector at the height of job-loss anxiety in all sectors. That’s cruel. That’s the Pied Piper leading children to the edge of the cliff.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. 2024 is just around the corner. But we can already see its shadow. And that’s just in Britain.

Heaven knows what messianic and diabolical proclamations are going to be made about technology and society in America’s 2024 elections.

Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Insights sections to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.