The special advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, ambassador Celso Amorim, defended, this Tuesday (16), that Artificial Intelligence (AI) manipulated by a restricted group of companies, based in a few countries, has the potential to deepen inequalities in the world and undermine democratic systems. "This is the case of big tech companies that refuse any type of regulation. Today we see how some artificial intelligence companies dominate entire sectors, including in developed countries."   Related news: STF gives big techs 60 days to comply with rules defined by the Court. Decree determines that big techs must prevent criminal content. Lula warns about the risk of bets and big tech for families and democracy. According to him, faced with the power of big tech, States cannot give up their legitimate regulatory capacity, “derived from the people’s vote”. The threat to democracies posed by big techs is a topic of debate around the world, due, among other reasons, to the ability of social networks to direct public debate, disseminate fake news en masse and impact the job market. Amorim participates, in Portugal, in the Forte International Security Conference, which brings together authorities and experts from the European Union and South America. The meeting is promoted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Brazil in cooperation with the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) and the European Union Delegation. >> Follow the Agência Brasil channel on WhatsApp Data and sovereignty Special advisor for the Presidency's international area, Celso Amorim also recalled that “cyber attacks” are increasingly common and, therefore, it is necessary to invest in cyber resilience as a condition for national sovereignty in the 21st century. "Without digital protection, there is no decision-making autonomy or institutional trust. Data has become an economic, political and military asset. It feeds artificial intelligence models, guides strategic decisions and allows large-scale monitoring." Amorim added that a country like Brazil needs to be “fully aware” of the importance and implications of data in the digital economy and defended, for example, the protection of data from the Unified Health System (SUS) bank. Regulation of big techs Ambassador Amorim defended the regulation of digital platforms to achieve technological development aimed at “common goods”, such as reducing poverty, protecting the environment and guaranteeing human rights. “Living in a world where there are trillionaires while 673 million people go hungry is simply not acceptable.” AI as a weapon of war The presidential advisor also warned of the risk of using this technology in ongoing wars.  "The development of autonomous weapons is one of the most eloquent examples of the moral dilemma we are experiencing. The use of lethal force becomes increasingly impersonal, without imminent risk to the operator. The feeling of guilt in the face of death and destruction disappears." For the ambassador, the use of AI in war should be a cause for great concern in the current geopolitical context, “in which the constraint on the use of force no longer exists”. When citing the use of technologies in wars in the Middle East, he added that Brazil must “invest in defense” to “guarantee our deterrence capacity”.