The news of citizens rolling out tests for civic poll hopefuls truly resonates with a sentiment I've carried for decades: the profound need for greater accountability and competence in leadership. It’s a natural evolution of civic engagement, moving beyond mere voting to active evaluation.
I recall my time at Larsen & Toubro, where I championed clear communication and genuine employee involvement. We sought to foster a sense of shared 'responsibility consciousness' among all levels of staff, as I detailed in my blog, "Productivity - A Look: Backward and Forward". This civic movement today mirrors that very desire: citizens are demanding a deeper understanding of those who seek to govern them, moving past rhetoric to verifiable aptitude.
This is where technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, becomes an indispensable ally. Imagine the possibilities! In my blog "Fast Forward to Future ( 3 F)", I mused about a 'MIND READER Of HUMAN INTENTIONS' – an AI-driven system, which I called ARIHANT, designed to analyze spoken words for 'evil intentions'. While that vision was grander in scope, the core idea of leveraging sophisticated data analysis to understand a candidate's true intentions, past actions, and policy consistency is perfectly applicable here.
This isn't a distant dream. Consider Amazon's recent acquisition of Bee AI, which manufactures a wearable device capable of listening to and analyzing conversations to provide summaries and to-do lists. Maria de Lourdes Zollo, Bee's CEO, envisioned a world where AI "understands and enhances your life." While Bee AI, confirmed by Amazon spokesperson Alexandra Miller, aims for personal productivity, the underlying technology—listening, analyzing, and summarizing vast amounts of data—could be adapted. Imagine an AI analyzing a civic candidate's every public speech, town hall interaction, social media post, and even their legislative voting patterns, compiling a transparent, data-driven profile of their fitness for office. This, in essence, is building a 'Database of Intentions' for our leaders, as I discussed in my reflections on Jeff Bezos's vision for this technology Jeff Bezos may save mankind.
Of course, the specter of privacy looms large over such technological advancements. My debates with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, as highlighted in "Artificial Intelligence : Destroyer of Privacy ?", underscore the deep divisions on this topic. Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen of Google famously noted that "people will share more than they’re even aware of." Furthermore, the Indian Supreme Court's deliberations on the 'Right to Privacy', where Justice Chandrachud grappled with defining privacy in the digital age, emphasized the complexity of regulating such pervasive data collection Supreme may Propose : Technology will Dispose. How do we ensure these civic tests are fair, unbiased, and don't become tools for undue surveillance or manipulation? This is where humanity's wisdom must guide technology, perhaps by embedding ethical principles akin to Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics into the very fabric of these systems.
This citizen-led movement, empowered by analytical tools, represents a profound step towards a more informed and participatory democracy. It challenges us to thoughtfully leverage technology to foster a transparent and accountable relationship between leaders and the led, ensuring that those who seek to serve are truly fit for purpose.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
PS :
https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2018/10/citizens-charter-of-demand.html
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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