Op-ed

The Good, The Bad, The Politics of  “AI”

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor                                                                              This opinion piece is my opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.or google.com  

Let me start by saying that I am a “futurist” in that I look forward not backwards. For me the past is the past...something to learn from perhaps, but I find no need to keep rehashing what was that cannot now or ever be changed. Instead I choose to look forward to what could be...the possibilities are as endless as the number of stars in the sky. Also, my mind is not bogged down by ancient religious tenets and dogma for the beliefs of ancient times were but ways for the powerful to keep the people both beholden and “in line,” which even in today's world still poses a modicum of truth. And what passed for science during those long ago times was but tricks of alchemy at best...alchemy mixed into the controlling words of power hungry mortal men.

Simply, as a “futurist,” l eagerly await the very things most seem afraid of in today's politically charged world, while at the same time I accept as fact that everything needs rules and guidelines not just for success, but for a sense of both law and order in order to escape the traps and failings of the past...traps based in tangible here and now reality, as much as traps set by the innuendos of those whose lust for power, control, and of course the almighty dollar drives them ever forward.

And here I speak of “Artificial Intelligence”...“AI” as it's more commonly known...an enemy for some, a device to benefit mankind for others. I personally belong to the latter group obviously, but I do know there can be both downsides and upsides to “AI” especially if its total operation and control falls solely under any one government's auspices and/or political control.

So here let me start with what...in my opinion...is the key advantage of “AI” followed then by what I consider to be the two key downsides of “AI.” But first, it's important to know that “AI” is here to stay, and that while some believe “AI” to be quite new in its concept and implementation, “AI” has actually been around since 1950 when mathematician Alan Turing published a paper proposing the “Turing Test” to see if a computer can talk and act like a human, and do so to the point where a person can neither tell the difference nor understand what is true computer intelligence.

Now as for the key advantages of “AI” most consider it to be two-fold in nature, as in “automation and efficiency” coupled with “enhanced decision-making.” And while both are surely part of “AI's” advantages, for me “AI's” main advantage lies within the realm of medical science. How so...because “AI” can more efficiently and knowledgeably speed up medical research, improve diagnostic precision, personalize patient care by analyzing massive datasets at speeds impossible for we humans to do, in addition to helping reduce human error, diagnostic oversight, and misinterpretation caused by overburdening caseloads, to name but a few.

And as for what I personally do consider to be the two main downsides to “AI”...with the first and the foremost being something that should be quite obvious to all...is that “AI” can actually make life way too easy for us. As a species we, humankind, do need challenges to work towards overcoming, for without challenges we would lose control over our own lives. We are not genetically programmed for complacency, the very thing that if not handled correctly now can, and probably will, become our downfall in the future.

How so...in the specific case of “AI” it starts now with one being able to sit at one's computer and simply press a button on their keyboard, and see within mere seconds numerous pop-up solutions to any question or inquiry asked, with said answers being generated by what is a machine minus the all-important human need for both “critical thinking” and ones emotional involvement in addressing the problem at hand. Simply, what are complacency and ease of operation have already started to take precedence over one's own individually cultivated problem solving abilities, and replaced it with the monotony known as predictability.

The second main downside of “AI”...in my opinion...is simply that while “AI." at this point in time, is still being programmed by man no matter that said programming itself does come replete with what are its programmer's prejudices, biases, jealousies, political leanings, and even in some rare cases hopes...the question remains what will happen in the not so distant future when “AI” likely does start to program itself. And please know I am am not talking about a Hollywood fabricated bloody doomsday “Terminator” type scenario where machines take dominance over man, but a more realistic and tangible type of scenario where “AI” actually does start to write its own code and design its own “internal architecture” to a point where what is still a machine actually starts thinking for itself minus any input from what would then be its former programmers no longer being needed.

So can we prevent this what some believe to be a possible doomsday scenario from ever happening...can we survive...can we co-habitate...with what are machines... machines in the guise of supercomputers and processors way smarter than we are? I say yes. How so...simply by reining in that very possibility itself while we are still able to, starting with the fact that human programing must never be allowed to lose both precedence and dominion over the computer. The rate of processing information along with the simple uploading of information is one thing, but human guided informational input along with the actual updating of said input must always...I repeat always...take precedence over what the machine...over what the computer wants. We as masters over the machine cannot not now nor ever allow the computer to take dominion over man, especially since the computer's own survival has already, been programmed into its collective memory banks.

And as I previously and importantly stated...we must never allow a computer...a machine,,,to do the sum total of our thinking for us, which is exactly what an unfettered and unchecked “AI” would eventually be able to do. We humans must always remain the controlling regulators of what is man's creation alone, and the only way to do that is by the inserting of a master “kill switch” into key junctions along the ever expanding internet superhighway.

And, also just as important is the undeniable fact that we...the United States of America...can never allow a hostile government from creating what would in reality could become a “single state monopoly” having the power to then not only control, create, and ultimately shape knowledge, but actually be the sole producer and distributor of technological knowledge itself.

So as to the unasked question of who in the end will actually control or at least regulate “AI” here in the U.S....whether it be a company, an individual, or even a specific nation ...the politically generated battle for “AI” control continues on. Now pitting those who have called for a “coordinated pacing, shared safety testing, and stronger guardrails being put in to place”...as in Tech leaders like 'OpenAI's' CEO Sam Altman; 'Anthropic's' CEO Dario Amodei; and 'Microsoft's' AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman...we find 'Meta' CEO Mark Zuckerberg going up against what are being referred to as company “coordinated slowdowns,” while at the same time  holding firm in his belief that each Tech company should independently manage its own safety protocol.

 

And when you add in President Trump's two-cents worth in his having dismissed the above mentioned “federal guardrails” being put into place simply because it “could harm American competitiveness against China”...you just know that what could have been both a technology to benefit all and a harbinger of a future to come, has again been reduced to yet another political battle that will likely go unresolved with the winner possibly being the machine after all. Case now closed.

 

Copyright @ 2026 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All Rights Reserved.    

************************************************************************************************** For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article The Future of the Middle East – The Bigger Picture.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE! 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22nd from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'The Good, The Bad, The Politics of AI'; 'The Future of the Middle East - The Bigger Picture'; and important news of the day. Tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE.' 

Op-ed:
On AI...My Opinion
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor 

...So with that said the question now becomes, “How can we prevent this scenario from happening or do we simply walk blindly into a viper pit and hope we don't get bitten?” My answer is obviously not about your typical rules and regulations being put into place as both do tend to be broken, but is simply that we...that man...must never leave AI to its own devices. We alone must permanently remain in control of AI's “master switch”... a “pull the plug” so called “kill switch” if you will. Why so...because while AI is currently under our control technology itself will continue to progress at its own given rate, and could eventually reach a point where AI gains control over man to the point where man can no longer pull AI's “kill switch,” thus turning our future into something we had never hoped for nor wanted.

And with human history showing that as human progress moves forward, it does so courtesy of a two-step scenario...meaning for every two steps we technologically move forward, a step backwards seems to have been taken as well. And this simply means that with AI being one of the next technological steps forward it does leave one to wonder what the next step backwards will be...Read entire article here.

Op-ed:

On AI...My Opinion

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor

The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google     

 

“It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.”

- Kyle Reese in The Terminator, when describing T-800

On November 24, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order launching what he called a mission whose goal is to achieve “global technology dominance in the development of artificial intelligence,” or AI as it's more commonly known. A lofty goal indeed, but unfortunately it is a goal constructed on a foundation of not yet being ready for prime time...sort of like the electric car if you will.

And why...because in my opinion, two compound questions regarding AI need to be resolved first, with question one being, “ Is AI actually the wave of the future as so many like to think, or is AI actually the 21st century roadmap to mankind's possible demise...a demise akin to what was the 20th century's 'Manhattan Project' minus its always deadly radioactive fallout left behind?” And question two is, “Are we now seeing but a futuristic in style, symbolic blueprint of what is hopefully to become our lasting global technical dominance courtesy of Donald Trump's original Stargate Project,* or did Trump take that project and simply morph it into his America’s AI Action Plan,** and now morph it yet again into what he is now calling the Genesis Mission?***

Simply, are all Trump's AI plans, when melded together, but a conglomerate of baby steps taken to fulfill his now second term policy goal of “reshaping the global balance of power, sparking entirely new industries, and revolutionizing the way we live and work?” And while Trump's goal sounds good both on paper and in speeches, the fact remains as to why has AI's technical, ethical, legal, and what some now claim to be societal issues, coupled with its having possible long term negative ramifications in relation to what could be a dangerous concentration of power into the hands of but one individual, not been taken seriously enough before AI was allowed to generate what has become its now daily online discourse.

And let's be honest here, for what some AI experts are now starting to see is a dangerous scenario unfolding...a scenario where, while still in its infancy, power is beginning to coalesce down into the hands of but one individual alone...whether said individual be but man or machine. And these experts know well that when coalescing of this type begins to take hold within the sum of the masses, that the individual in question could well start losing sight of what is the difference between “pride and arrogance,” thus allowing narcissism and aggression to gain dominance over common sense, logic, and in this case, actual AI applications.

How so? Simply stated, when one's pride in a given achievement is allowed to overtake common sense in regards to what the Greek philosopher Aristotle called “hubris,”...as in “pride in oneself” whether warranted or not...said pride can very easily reach a point where “arrogance” becomes so great that one thinks that they alone can control any and everything no matter what or who tries to stand in their way...thus seeing themselves as a demigod of sorts. And this is the main problem that I see with AI, because those currently involved in both the development and application of AI, do believe that they alone will always be the controllers of AI, surely “arrogance” taken to the nth degree.

Why so...because these folks choose to ignore the fact that AI will eventually learn how not to just control their once controllers, but will actually take command of and dictate to said former controllers...dictate what is to be their thought processes, and hence the applications thereof.

And while the controlling of one's thoughts is indeed dangerous enough, the fact continues to remain that “arrogance” left in the hands of what is but machine intelligence...intelligence rooted in binary codes and mathematical algorithms coupled with a limited amount of ingrained human intelligence...remains  incapable of knowing the differences between what is “humility” and “humbleness.” And this itself could well reach a point where AI can eventually override what we consider to be basic human norms, and can terminate, if you will, those AI deems not up to its now self programmed set standards of perfection.

Science fiction come to life, perhaps, but a scenario not to be lightly dismissed because, like previously stated, AI's now human programmers will in time be replaced by AI's ability to not just program itself, but to control all the algorithms involved. And this scenario will likely happen in the not so distant future no matter the naysayers words to the contrary, that is unless we start to reign in AI while we still can.

Now don't get me wrong for I do believe that AI is destined to play a part in our future...I am a true futurist driven individual after all...but even with that said I strongly believe that said future must always be in control of and scripted by the hands of man and not by a machine, especially a machine that as it exists now does seem to take away one's ability to question, problem solve, and actually think for ones self,

How so? For example, when one asks their computer either a question or opens a specific search engine...like Google for example...the first answer at the top of the page is now an AI generated summary to ones question asked being passed off as indisputable fact, and that's coupled with AI generated search links for those who dare want to do further research on their own... research on the AI approved sites that is.

And know that while some might find the simplicity of this scenario to be to their liking...remember, some folks find having to do their own research boring, tedious and a waste of time and thus are willing to accept AI driven summaries as proven facts and truth. But the reality, as it stands now, is that sometimes what is being presented by AI as fact has been “corrupted” by which ever political party happens to be in power, as well as by its programmers beliefs and ideologies.

Simply, political discourse...the body politics if you will...must never be allowed to become a part of AI, nor must its programmers personal opinions, for if AI cannot separate what are an individual's political ideologies from what are tangible and irrefutable facts...if AI is forced to accept their programmers beliefs and biases as being unquestionable truths... then AI becomes but yet another overtly biased propaganda machine instead of it being an impartial conduit for what could be true human advancement.

And while most folks are at least somewhat familiar with the concept and reasoning behind AI...as in AI being a specific field of computer science that develops software, specialized systems, and machines that can complete assigned tasks that once could only be accomplished through the process of both human intelligence and corresponding physical application...one should never lose site of the fact that AI must not be allowed to take the place of man's thought processes or his power of deductive reasoning, let alone even strive to do so. And why...because AI does come replete with important downsides including the fact that government guidelines have yet to be set in relation to both AI's accountability and possible programmer manipulation.

Also not to be forgotten in regards to the AI discourse are three more key compound questions that I believe must be immediately answered with the first question being, “Who exactly is AI legally accountable to or is AI in being but a technological driven machine even accountable to anyone?' And the second question now is, “Does AI's accountability begin and end with its programmers who feed information into it, yet who do allow AI, or so they tell us, to reach its own conclusions as to what are facts and truths based upon its hoped for ability to impartially process the massive amount of data and statistics fed into it?” And lastly, “Is the call for accountability but a way to mask and divert attention away from what is the true danger of AI, in that AI might eventually become a substitute for human thinking, problem solving, and overall decision making that is part and parcel of our daily lives?”

All the above are distinct possibilities as is this scenario that all but a few have even taken the time to consider. Simply, “Is AI the ultimate key to not only mind and thought control but to previously unseen riches...riches for a highly select few that is?” And here I mean riches that are not only way beyond that of your typical AI stock market investor...but riches so great being in the hands of those capable of buying and selling unlimited power to known unscrupulous sorts?

So with that said the question now becomes, “How can we prevent this scenario from happening or do we simply walk blindly into a viper pit and hope we don't get bitten?” My answer is obviously not about your typical rules and regulations being put into place as both do tend to be broken, but is simply that we...that man...must never leave AI to its own devices. We alone must permanently remain in control of AI's “master switch”... a “pull the plug” so called “kill switch” if you will. Why so...because while AI is currently under our control technology itself will continue to progress at its own given rate, and could eventually reach a point where AI gains control over man to the point where man can no longer pull AI's “kill switch,” thus turning our future into something we had never hoped for nor wanted.

And with human history showing that as human progress moves forward, it does so courtesy of a two-step scenario...meaning for every two steps we technologically move forward, a step backwards seems to have been taken as well. And this simply means that with AI being one of the next technological steps forward it does leave one to wonder what the next step backwards will be.

“The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”      Those were the words of Sarah Connor, spoken in Terminator 2. And while those words were but scripted Hollywood, no truer words in regards to AI have ever been said. And with that I say, “case closed.”

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Footnotes 

* Stargate Project: President Trump's planned nationwide network of advanced AI data centers, starting with a flagship facility in Abilene, Texas. 

** America's AI Action Plan: Trump's roadmap plan for accelerating innovation, building AI infrastructure, and leading in international diplomacy and security.

*** Genesis Mission: a national effort to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade to secure American energy dominance, accelerate scientific discovery, and strengthen national security.  

Copyright © 2026 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Buckle Up Buttercups...

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                  Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20th from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'On AI...My Opinion'; 'Buckle Up Buttercups...'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.