Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Artificial Intelligence and the Power of Language

The future of AI

How the mastery of language may be driving emergent abilities in Large Language Models, and what this means.

Published 7 May 2024
– By Thorsteinn Siglaugsson

4 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

A few days ago, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said that the advent of artificial intelligence could be likened to the discovery of electricity, so profound would be the societal changes it brings about. Artificial intelligence is certainly nothing new in banking; it has been used for decades. However, what is driving the discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence now is the emergence of Large Language models like ChatGPT. This is the major change, not only in the corporate world, but also in everyday life.

The Large Language models are unlike other AI tools in that they have mastered language; we can communicate with them in ordinary language. Thus, technical knowledge is no longer a prerequisite for using artificial intelligence in life and work; instead, expressive ability and understanding of language are key. But the development of these models and research into them also vividly remind us how language itself is the true prerequisite for human society.

Theory of Mind: Getting Into the Minds of Others

Large Language models function in a different way from normal software because they evolve and change without the developers and operators necessarily foreseeing those changes. The ability to put oneself in the mind of another person has generally been considered unique to humans. This ability, known in psychology as “theory of mind,” refers to an individual’s ability to formulate a “theory” about what another person’s mental world is like. This ability is fundamental to human society; without it, it’s hard to see how any society could thrive. Here’s a simple puzzle of this kind:

“There is a bag filled with popcorn. There is no chocolate in the bag. Yet the label on the bag says “chocolate” and not “popcorn.” Sam finds the bag. She had never seen the bag before. She cannot see what is inside the bag. She reads the label.”

The question is, what does she think is in the bag? Of course, the right answer is that Sam thinks there’s chocolate in the bag, because that’s what the label says. When Michal Kosinski, adjunct Professor at Stanford University, tested last year whether the first language models could handle this task, the result was negative. GPT-1 and 2 both answered incorrectly. But then he tried the next generation of the model, GPT-3. And in 40% of cases, it managed this type of task. GPT-3.5 managed it in 90% of cases and GPT-4 in 95% of cases.1

Emergent Capabilities of Large Language Models

This capability came as a surprise, as nothing had been done to build theory of mind capability into the models. They simply acquired it on their own as they grew larger and as the volume of data they were trained on increased. That this could happen is based on the models’ ability to use language, says Kosinski.

Another example I stumbled upon myself by chance recently was when GPT-4 asked me, after I had posed a puzzle to it, whether I had tried to solve the puzzle myself. The models certainly ask questions all the time, that’s nothing new, they aim to get more precise instructions. But this question is of a different nature. I answered yes and also mentioned that this was the first time I had received a question of this kind from the model. “Yes, you are observant,” GPT-4 replied, “with this I am trying to make the conversation more natural.”

Does this new development mean that the artificial intelligence truly puts itself in the mind of others? Does it mean it thinks, that it has feelings, opinions, an interest in the viewpoints and experiences of others? Of course, we can’t draw that conclusion. But what this means is that the behavior of the models is becoming increasingly similar to how we use language when we interact with each other. In this sense, we could actually talk about the mind of an AI model, just as we use theory of mind to infer about the minds of other humans.

The Power of Language

The language models draw our attention to the importance of language and how it underpins our societies and our existence. We now have a technology that is increasingly adept at using language, which has the advantage of possessing vastly more knowledge than any individual could possibly acquire in a lifetime and which can perform tasks much faster. We can use this technology to greatly enhance our own productivity, our reasoning, and our decisions if we use it correctly. This way, we can use it to gain more leisure time and improve our quality of life.

The comparison to the discovery of electricity is apt. Some might even want to go further and liken this revolution to the advent of language itself, which could be supported by pointing to the spontaneous capabilities of the models, such as theory of mind, which they achieve through nothing but the very ability to use language. What happens then if they evolve further than us, and could that possibly happen?

The fact that artificial intelligence has mastered language is a revolution that will lead to fundamental changes in society. The challenge we now face, each and every one of us, is to use it in a structured way, to our advantage, and avoid the pitfall of outsourcing our own thinking and decisions to it. The best way to do this is to enhance our own understanding of language, our expressive ability, and our critical thinking skills.

 

Thorsteinn Siglaugsson

 


  1. Kosinski, Michal: Theory of Mind May Have Spontaneously Emerged in Large Language Models, Stanford 2023. https://stanford.io/4aQosLV

Thorsteinn Siglaugsson is a Icelandic economist, consultant and writer. Chairman of the Icelandic Free Speech Society. Author: "From Symptoms to Causes" (Amazon). Regular contributor to The Daily Sceptic, Conservative Woman and Brownstone Institute. Siglaugsson also writes on Substack.

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Spotify fills playlists with fake music – while CEO invests millions in military AI

The future of AI

Published yesterday 15:55
– By Editorial Staff
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek accused of diverting artist royalties to military AI development.
3 minute read

Swedish streaming giant Spotify promotes anonymous pseudo-musicians and computer-generated music to avoid paying royalties to real artists, according to a new book by music journalist Liz Pelly.

Meanwhile, criticism grows against Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who recently invested over €600 million in a company developing AI technology for future warfare.

In the book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, Liz Pelly reveals that Spotify has long been running a secret internal program called Perfect Fit Content (PFC). The program creates cheap, generic background music – often called “muzak” – through a network of production companies with ties to Spotify. This music is then placed in Spotify’s popular playlists, often without crediting any real artists.

The program was tested as early as 2010 and is described by Pelly as Spotify’s most profitable strategy since 2017.

“But it also raises worrying questions for all of us who listen to music. It puts forth an image of a future in which – as streaming services push music further into the background, and normalize anonymous, low-cost playlist filler – the relationship between listener and artist might be severed completely”, Pelly writes.

By 2023, the PFC program controlled hundreds of playlists. More than 150 of them – with names like Deep Focus, Cocktail Jazz, and Morning Stretch – consisted entirely of music produced within PFC.

“Only soulless AI music will remain”

A jazz musician told Pelly that Spotify asked him to create an ambient track for a few hundred dollars as a one-time payment. However, he couldn’t retain the rights to the music. When the track later received millions of plays, he realized he had likely been deceived.

Social media criticism has been harsh. One user writes: “In a few years, only soulless AI music will remain. It’s an easy way to avoid paying royalties to anyone.”

“I deleted Spotify and cancelled my subscription”, comments another.

Spotify has previously faced criticism for similar practices. The Guardian reported in February that the company’s Discovery Mode system allows artists to gain more visibility – but only if they agree to receive 30 percent less payment.

Spotify’s CEO invests in AI for warfare

Meanwhile, CEO Daniel Ek has faced severe criticism for investing over €600 million through his investment firm Prima Materia in the German AI company Helsing. The company develops software for drones, fighter aircraft, submarines, and other military systems.

– The world is being tested in more ways than ever before. That has sped up the timeline. There’s an enormous realisation that it’s really now AI, mass and autonomy that is driving the new battlefield, Ek commented in an interview with Financial Times.

With this investment, Ek has also become chairman of Helsing. The company is working on a project called Centaur, where artificial intelligence will be used to control fighter aircraft.

The criticism was swift. Australian producer Bluescreen explained in an interview with music site Resident Advisor why he chose to leave Spotify – a decision several other music creators have also made.

– War is hell. There’s nothing ethical about it, no matter how you spin it. I also left because it became apparent very quickly that Spotify’s CEO, as all billionaires, only got rich off the exploitation of others.

Competitor chooses different path

Spotify has previously been questioned for its proximity to political power. The company donated $150,000 to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund in 2017 and hosted an exclusive brunch the day before the ceremony.

While Spotify is heavily investing in AI-generated music and voice-controlled DJs, competitor SoundCloud has chosen a different path.

– We do not develop AI tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for AI training purposes, explains communications director Marni Greenberg.

– In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a ‘no AI’ tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorised use.

Tech giants’ executives become US military officers – gain power over future warfare

The future of AI

Published 26 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Data from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could soon be linked to the Swedish military's surveillance systems, according to TBOT (the Swedish Armed Forces' Cyber Defense Unit).
3 minute read

Four senior executives from tech giants Meta, Palantir, and OpenAI have recently been sworn into the US Army Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel – an officer rank that normally requires over 20 years of active military service.

The group is part of a new initiative called Detachment 201, aimed at transforming the American military by integrating advanced technologies such as drones, robotics, augmented reality (AR), and AI support.

The new recruits are:

Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Palantir

Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer of Meta

Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of OpenAI

Bob McGrew, former Research Director at OpenAI

According to the technology platform Take Back Our Tech (TBOT), which monitors these developments, these are not symbolic appointments.

“These aren’t random picks. They’re intentional and bring representation and collaboration from the highest level of these companies”, writes founder Hakeem Anwar.

Meta and Palantir on the battlefield

Although the newly appointed officers must formally undergo physical training and weapons instruction, they are expected to participate primarily in digital defense. Their mission is to help the army adapt to a new form of warfare where technology takes center stage.

“The battlefield is truly transforming and so is the government”, notes Anwar.

According to Anwar, the recruitment of Palantir’s CTO could mean the military will start using the company’s Gotham platform as standard. Gotham is a digital interface that collects intelligence and monitors targets through satellite imagery and video feeds.

Meta’s CTO is expected to contribute to integrating data from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which according to TBOT could be connected to military surveillance systems. These platforms are used by billions of people worldwide and contain vast amounts of movement, communication, and behavioral data.

“The activities, movements, and communications from these apps could be integrated into this surveillance network”, writes Anwar, adding:

“It’s no wonder why countries opposed to the US like China have been banning Meta products”.

Leaked project reveals AI initiative for entire government apparatus

Regarding OpenAI’s role, Anwar suggests that Kevin Weil and Bob McGrew might design an AI interface for the army, where soldiers would have access to AI chatbots to support strategy and field tactics.

As Detachment 201 becomes public, a separate AI initiative within the US government has leaked. The website ai.gov, still under development, reveals a plan to equip the entire federal administration with AI tools – from code assistants to AI chatbots for internal use.

TBOT notes that the initiative relies on AI models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. The project is led by the General Services Administration, under former Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd, who has also been involved in the cryptocurrency project DOGE.

“The irony? The website itself was leaked during development, demonstrating that AI isn’t foolproof and can’t replace human expertise”, comments Anwar.

According to the tech site’s founder, several federal employees are critical of the initiative, concerned about insufficient safeguards.

“Without proper safeguards, diving head first into AI could create new security vulnerabilities, disrupt operations, and further erode privacy”, he writes.

Strängnäs poised to become Northern Europe’s AI capital

The future of AI

Published 6 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The cathedral in Strängnäs will soon have competition from a giant AI center.
3 minute read

Strängnäs, a municipality in Sweden, is preparing for one of the largest investments in its history. Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) plans to build one of Europe’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the city.

The data center, which will be built on an area of approximately 350,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 750 megawatts – more than twice as large as previously planned. The project is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs and approximately 2,000 jobs during the construction phase.

The investment amounts to approximately SEK 95 billion (€8.7 billion) and is expected to take 10–15 years.

Strängnäs has all the conditions to become the location of Northern Europe’s first AI center. We can offer an excellent geographical location, we have a high level of education and good cooperation with the municipalities in the Mälardalen region, says Jacob Högfeldt (M), chairman of the municipal council in Strängnäs, to Datacenter-Forum.

Brookfield‘s European CEO, Sikander Rashid, highlights the importance of investing in AI infrastructure on a large scale.

– To be competitive in AI development and realize its economic productivity, it is important to invest at scale in the infrastructure that underpins this technology. This extends beyond data centers and into data transmission, chip storage and energy production.

Strängnäs part of a broader strategy

The investment in Strängnäs is part of Brookfield’s broader strategy to invest around €20 billion in AI infrastructure in Europe, which also includes plans for large data centers in France and other countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed his support for the investment on social media, emphasizing Sweden’s long tradition of strong companies.

Translation of above tweet: “Sweden has a long tradition of innovation and strong companies. AI is an incredible force that will enable Sweden to remain at the forefront. That is why the government is now developing a comprehensive AI strategy – and why we appointed the AI Commission. We are now seeing results.

I welcome the announcement today by the Canadian company Brookfield that it plans to invest up to SEK 95 billion in a new AI center in Strängnäs. It will be one of the largest data centers of its kind in Europe. It is also one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure to date in our country. I am particularly pleased that it is in my hometown.

We have a fantastic tech scene, and the latest investments from companies such as Brookfield, Nvidia, and Microsoft are clear proof of that.”

Sweden has competitive advantages that make the country attractive for large data center investments, including a relatively stable energy supply, high digital maturity, and proximity to academic hubs such as KTH and Uppsala University.

In addition, EU data protection regulations require sensitive data to be stored within the Union’s borders, which increases demand for local data centers.

The investment in the AI center could make Strängnäs a central node in Europe’s AI ecosystem and help strengthen Sweden’s role in the global AI race.

AI surveillance in Swedish workplaces sparks outrage

Mass surveillance

Published 4 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In practice, it is possible to analyze not only employees' productivity - but also their facial expressions, voices and emotions.
2 minute read

The rapid development of artificial intelligence has not only brought advantages – it has also created new opportunities for mass surveillance, both in society at large and in the workplace.

Even today, unscrupulous employers use AI to monitor and map every second of their employees’ working day in real time – a development that former Social Democratic politician Kari Parman warns against and calls for decisive action to combat.

In an opinion piece in the Stampen-owned newspaper GP, he argues that AI-based surveillance of employees poses a threat to staff privacy and calls on the trade union movement to take action against this development.

Parman paints a bleak picture of how AI is used to monitor employees in Swedish workplaces, where technology analyzes everything from voices and facial expressions to productivity and movement patterns – often without the employees’ knowledge or consent.

It’s a totalitarian control system – in capitalist packaging”, he writes, continuing:

There is something deeply disturbing about the idea that algorithms will analyze our voices, our facial expressions, our productivity – second by second – while we work”.

“It’s about power and control”

According to Parman, there is a significant risk that people in digital capitalism will be reduced to mere data points, giving employers disproportionate power over their employees.

He sees AI surveillance as more than just a technical issue and warns that this development undermines the Swedish model, which is based on balance and respect between employers and employees.

It’s about power. About control. About squeezing every last ounce of ‘efficiency’ out of people as if we were batteries”.

If trade unions fail to act, Parman believes, they risk becoming irrelevant in a working life where algorithms are taking over more and more of the decision-making.

To stop this trend, he lists several concrete demands. He wants to see a ban on AI-based individual surveillance in the workplace and urges unions to introduce conditions in collective agreements to review and approve new technology.

Kari Parman previously represented the Social Democrats in Gnosjö. Photo: Kari Parman/FB

“Reduced to an algorithm’s margin of error”

He also calls for training for safety representatives and members, as well as political regulations from the state.

No algorithm should have the right to analyze our performance, movements, or feelings”, he declares.

Parman emphasizes that AI surveillance not only threatens privacy but also creates a “psychological iron cage” where employees constantly feel watched, blurring the line between work and private life.

At the end of the article, the Social Democrat calls on the trade union movement to take responsibility and lead the resistance against the misuse of AI in the workplace.

He sees it as a crucial issue for the future of working life and human dignity at work.

If we don’t stand up now, we will be alone when it is our turn to be reduced to an algorithm’s margin of error”, he concludes.

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