Oracle's Ellison Envisions AI-Powered Mass Surveillance Future

AI is poised to herald a new era of mass surveillance, according to Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, who indicated that his company is prepared to be the technological backbone for such initiatives. These initiatives involve ensuring that individuals remain "on their best behavior" through continuous, real-time monitoring powered by machine learning. Ellison shared these insights toward the conclusion of an hour-long discussion during last week’s Oracle financial analyst meeting, specifically during a Q&A session where he positioned Oracle—an established US government contractor with recent IT partnerships with AWS and Microsoft—as a key player in AI infrastructure. He asserted that numerous companies are developing AI models at Oracle due to its "unique networking architecture, " which has its roots in the database era. The AI Boom and the Decline of Databases "AI is hot, and databases are not, " Ellison stated, suggesting that while Oracle's contributions may seem less glamorous, they remain crucial. He emphasized the necessity of having well-organized data for AI systems to be valuable. Notably, the fact that significant players in cloud computing, including Elon Musk's Grok, have chosen Oracle for their AI infrastructure indicates that the company is on the right track, according to Ellison, who now serves as CTO. "If Elon and Satya [Nadella] are choosing us, that signifies we have valuable and differentiated technology, " he remarked, further noting that one of the prime applications for this technology is enhancing AI’s public security capabilities. Oracle: The Cloud Platform for Mass AI Surveillance With the fusion of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and advanced AI, Ellison imagined a future of continuous accountability for Americans, where technology ensures compliance among citizens.

He stated, "The police will be on their best behavior because we're constantly watching and recording everything that's happening. " He described a scenario in which police body cameras are perpetually active, with no possibility for officers to disable the feed directed to Oracle. In this future, even a request for privacy during a bathroom break or a meal would mean only certain segments of recordings could require a subpoena to access, while the video feed remains uninterrupted. AI would be tasked with monitoring officer feeds to identify any misconduct, which Ellison claimed could help prevent the abuse of police authority and potentially save lives. "Every police officer will be supervised at all times, " he clarified. "If a problem arises, AI will alert the appropriate individual. " However, Oracle’s ambitions extend beyond merely holding law enforcement accountable. Citizen Behavior Under Constant Surveillance "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're always recording and reporting, " Ellison said, though it remains uncertain what he defines as the source of these recordings—whether from police body cams or public security cameras. He pointed out the extensive opportunities to leverage AI, suggesting that drones could be utilized to track police suspects instead of relying on vehicle pursuits and that AI could analyze satellite imagery of farms to predict crop yields and recommend ways to enhance agricultural conditions. Regardless of privacy considerations, Ellison is determined to see Oracle’s involvement in this sector expand. We attempted to contact Oracle for clarification on some of Ellison's remarks but have yet to receive a response.