The Irish Left Is Marching: And We Want AI Out!
They don’t get to feel safe because we can’t feel safe in the face of such an existential threat. We will make them feel under siege as we are made to feel as hostages. When our rights are sold out to tech companies we simply have no other choice.
On the 14th of October the government intends to host it’s international AI summit in the RDS (D04 AK83) (1). This event is being convened by the governments top brass in the context of recently leaked documents from the European presidency in Ireland; that show a concerted effort of the EU, the Irish Government and AI companies to override our rights to data privacy for our sensitive data collected by state services (2.).
This would bypass all GDPR legislation in the context of AI. Effectively stripping our rights to privacy and informed consent for data supplied to the state under the expectation of reasonable privacy and protection
The EU presidency in its occupation of Dublin Castle has so far proven itself to be of a historical parallel to previous imperial occupiers. Seeking to expropriate from the people who live in this country both ruthlessly and incredulously.
In tandem with continued environmental degradation, rising energy costs and the ratcheting up of state surveillance this AI summit represents yet more anti-social extortion of the people in Ireland with a corporate glossy varnish. So what is being done about it?
Well the trots are planning to protest outside the event. Which may serve as an accessible way for members of the public to voice their concerns to the RDS facade. It would certainly be worth making some noise, make it impossible for attendees of the summit to contribute to further this anti human agenda without experiencing the cognitive dissonance proper to those who are facilitating the violation of their neighbours rights and freedoms.
They don’t get to feel safe because we can’t feel safe in the face of such an existential threat. We will make them feel under siege as we are made to feel as hostages. When our rights are sold out to tech companies who have managed such total regulatory capture we simply have no other choice.
If a few members of the crowd manage to sneak in to disrupt the event... Go gcastar an t-ádh leat. Keep your head on a swivel! I’d say our trigger happy public order thugs are itching for some action after they didn’t get to try out the water cannon during the Trump visit. With any luck we’ll run these fuckers out the same way we ran Peter Thiel out of Wicklow three months ago.
This is not to say that the only work to be done is that of direct action and standard protest. The left in Ireland has many currents and it will take all of us together if we are to not only run these cunts from the door, but also thwart their further attempts to imbed AI infrastructure into this land.
The trade unions are also mobilizing in a more long term sense. On the 10th and 11th of October the Digital and Tech Workers Alliance (DATA) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are hosting an AI counter summit. This is an event with free registration where talks and workshops will take place to develop a shared analysis and action plan for what can be done to stop and slow down the AI/data centre blight that we are dealing with.
For workers in tech and communications I implore you to join your local union and engage in collective action while this is still possible. Now is the time to band together, it will take a diversity of tactics and a clear eyed solidarity between our different currents and traditions if we are to succeed...
Can you feel it in the air?.. The Irish Left is marching, and we want AI out!
(1.)https://internationalaisummit.ie/
(2)https://noyb.eu/en/ai-eu-member-states-plan-digital-expropriation-europeans-interest-ai companies
(3.)https://www.datacwu.ie/ai-counter-summit/
