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Essay argues AI should give people superpowers not superintelligence, critiques Meta's ambient data capture
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Illustration only Photo by Connie de Vries on Unsplash
An essay argues AI should augment human capability through user-controlled 'superpowers' rather than machine-focused 'superintelligence' that observes users, critiquing Meta's model of ambient data capture through always-on devices.
The distinction between superpowers and superintelligence determines who controls the input layer of AI systems and who owns the resulting data. Meta's approach of distributing open weights models while centralizing data capture through always-on devices replicates existing power asymmetries under different optics. The incentives set now for data acquisition will shape AI development for decades.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
The essay argues AI should function as 'superpowers' that put humans in control of inputs, rather than 'superintelligence' that observes users ambiently.
Meta's design of always-on glasses that capture data without user participation concentrates power at the input layer despite open model distribution.
Meta's privacy policy updates in December 2025 allow private AI conversations to personalize ads, contradicting promises of a fully private mode.
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