Could Communism Work With An AI Overlord?
Fixing communism’s biggest pitfall
You cannot have a conversation with a believer in communism without hearing the words it would have worked if. The truth of the matter is that Leninism and Marxism have failed on a global scale. The last remaining communist states do not adhere to true collectivism or Marxism. They exist as autocratic states under single party rule. If you try to point out this inconvenient fact to a modern communist idealist, you will instantly be met with the counterpoint that true communism was never effectively implemented.
The Achilles heel of communism is the fact that people are easily corruptable. When you put the full economic power of a state in the hands of a few people, the results speak for themselves. It is too tempting for humans with that much power to abuse it or take some off the top for themselves. This erodes the whole communist ideal and eventually brings down the system.
This raises an intriguing question as to whether or not communism could function under the care of an artificial intelligence whose whole job is to administer a communist state. AI has some crucial benefits over humans. It is not corruptable in the same way a party leader is. It can monitor all of the economic activity in a country and distribute resources impartially. An AI, theoretically…
