Thread on AI and self-sovereignty, occasioned by conversation at #CCE2020

1. The AI conversation today is like the mainframe conversation before personal computing came along

2. Most AI talk (that I've heard, anyway) is about getting insights about people, so (a) laws can be enforced, and (b) people can be sold shit. That's worse than sub-minimal.

3. Personal AI should be about what people have and use in their lives: their health, wellness, finances, travel, possessions (and not just smart ones), calendars, contacts (their actual social networks)

4. To have that control, that agency (over one's AI, or anything), is to be self-sovereign

5. Self-sovereignty is just about agency. It doesn't exclude corporate, government, social or other forms of help. But it isn't preconditioned on them. In computing terms, it's owning root.

6. Self-sovereignty is owning #root in your own life. Like the t-shirt says:

7. Companies and governments can't own root for you, just like they can't think, breathe, laugh or talk for you. Yes, they too can (and are) self-sovereign. But no more than you are.

8. There is already work happening here, with #SSI: self-sovereign identity: See http://bing.com/search?q=self+sovereign+identity+SSI. It's still early. There are also doors into it through @VRM @Me2B @me2balliance @mydata @kantara, et. al.