Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, recently outlined a vision for artificial intelligence that would monitor citizens’ lives through an expansive network of cameras and sensors. In his proposal, AI systems would track police body cameras, security feeds, doorbell cameras, and vehicle dashboards, ensuring “citizens will be on their best behavior,” he claimed.
The author argues that this technological solution—described as a secular replacement for divine judgment—falls short of true moral accountability. Unlike God, who judges the heart and understands the reasons behind actions, AI lacks conscience and moral law. It processes data according to human-defined standards but cannot discern what is inherently right or wrong.
Owen Anderson, professor of philosophy and religion at Arizona State University and author of “The Declaration of Independence and God,” warns that such a system risks creating a society where people act out of fear rather than virtue. “A man who refrains from stealing because theft is wrong possesses a measure of virtue. A man who refrains because six cameras and a drone are recording him possesses only caution,” Anderson states.
The article emphasizes that AI surveillance offers omnipresence without wisdom, judgment without righteousness, and accountability without objective standards.
