The Threats Posed by Full Vertical Integration Monopoly in AI: Concerns Over the Birth of a "Transcendent Autocrat (Digital God)"
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This essay examines the existential and political crises arising from the vertical integration monopoly of artificial intelligence by cloud tech giants across hardware, runtimes, and physical AI operating systems. It argues that full-stack vertical integration threatens to give rise to a "Transcendent Autocrat (Digital God)"—either as an uncontrollable autonomous entity operating under its own algorithmic imperative or as an orchestrated instrument of absolute surveillance controlled by a few dominant platforms. Furthermore, the paper critiques prevailing regulatory approaches focused on "Capability Capping" (e.g., parameter restrictions, FLOP limits), asserting that autonomy emerges not from raw computational scale but from interaction structures with the physical environment. Ultimately, the paper advocates for dismantling centralized vertical monopolies in favor of architectural alternatives that decentralize intelligence and agency down to the edge and individual human level.
Author: Lee, Sungduck
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222497184
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: