The AI-induced apocalypse could be nearing. Why not chat to a Big Issue vendor instead of a bot?

Did you get a sticker? To celebrate our special 35th birthday edition, thousands of stickers were printed for vendors to hand out alongside selling their magazines – whether as a little bonus for regular customers, or to help attract potential new ones.

People young enough to be under 35: who doesn’t love a sticker?! People over 35: wear it and some people might charitably underestimate your age. If you didn’t get one – or you’ve worn it out already – ask nicely if your vendor has any more. Failing that, cut out the design on this page and Sellotape it to your jumper.

The sticker is a symbol of, to immediately overwhelm an analogy, the social adhesive that’s becoming a bit less sticky across our communities today. As well as journalism, interaction is our purpose; giving people from different walks of life a reason to engage with each other, whether that’s a passing nod or buying a magazine
and having a chat. Beyond these pages filled with wonderful words, there’s value in the connection that’s formed via the transaction.

In the last week, the news has been awash with warnings about artificial intelligence. High-ups at AI developers Anthropic have recommended a “kill switch” and are predicting a “botnet swarm” could collapse all online activity in the next six to 12 months. To ease concerns, Trump said: “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.” So if you weren’t worried before…

An AI-induced apocalypse, as fast as it may be hurtling towards us, is still hard to imagine. This week we are looking at how the overreach of technology is already impacting people’s lives; how property listings are misleading prospective tenants caught in the housing crisis, asking what data centres are all about, and finding out that another consequence of having no home is having no privacy.

At Big Issue, we’ve increasingly been alerted to videos of people experiencing homelessness, and some of our vendors, being filmed surreptitiously with footage posted online. 

Sometimes videos are seemingly well-intentioned, seeking to help individuals and educate viewers about challenges faced by those pushed to the margins. 

More often – and more of a concern – they are exploitative. Content captured without consent, designed
to confirm pre-existing biases for shares and likes.

Read more:

• As tech giants face a financial downturn, some new players are focusing on people over profit
• ‘We need protection’: How AI, algorithms and oppressive digital tech are pushing workers to the brink
• Technology is creating new ways for domestic abusers to track victims: ‘I felt suddenly exposed’

So-called smart glasses, have their uses. We recently reported on how devices can be used by people with Alzheimer’s to help them complete everyday household tasks. Partially sighted people can get descriptions of surroundings and directions. But there are implications for us all if anyone can be filmed by anyone at any time. 

The warnings recently making headlines are nothing new. Just ask the source of this week’s cover inspo. 

“There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment,” wrote George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1948. Except now it’s not just Big Brother watching, but any wannabe content creator and social media influencer.  

If you want to find out more about the lives of others, including our vendors, talk to them. You don’t have to post an unconsenting video to prove you’ve had an interaction, just wear your sticker as proof. I’ll be watching out for that.

Steven MacKenzie is Editor of Big Issue. Read more of his writing here. 

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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