Part 7/10:
A key point considers whether the military-industrial complex drives these advancements. The discussion explores how the U.S. and other nations develop and deploy surveillance systems, often initially for defensive purposes, which then proliferate and potentially spiral into oppressive or destabilizing systems.
The example of biometric data collection during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars illustrates how what began as targeted counter-terrorism efforts rapidly expanded to mass surveillance. The U.S. set a precedent which China has effectively copied, creating a comprehensive police state fortified by AI and biometric data.