Algorithmic Silence: Why the Quiet of Governments Matters More Than the Noise of AI Companies
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This reflective paper explores the growing asymmetry between the public rhetoric of artificial intelligence companies and the strategic silence of governments. While technology firms speak openly about safety, ethics, and innovation, state institutions - particularly within defence, intelligence, and domestic security domains - have become increasingly opaque about how AI is being integrated into political authority and behavioural governance. Introducing the concept of algorithmic silence, the paper argues that this quietness is not accidental but reflects a deeper structural migration of power from visible democratic processes to hidden algorithmic infrastructures. Drawing on political theory, historical patterns of technological militarisation, and emerging literature on algorithmic governance, the paper invites readers to consider how accountability, moral responsibility, and democratic reflexivity are being reshaped in the age of artificial intelligence.
Author: Bruijl, Gerard
Institution: Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7124136005
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