Argentina to implement digital system that will use citizens’ data to simulate scenarios
The Argentine government announced the launch of a new program called social digital twin, which aims to create simulations of potential social scenarios with artificial intelligence using citizens’ data. The goal is to improve public policies.
The announcement, made last week, was met with criticism from sectors that warned about how the use of personal information could breach privacy. However, the human capital ministry, in charge of the program, said all data will be anonymous and will only be used for creating “evidence-based policies.”
In addition, some critics linked the announcement to the visit of PayPal co-founder and far-right supporter Peter Thiel, who met with President Javier Milei in late April and has been staying in the country ever since.
Thiel is the owner of Palantir, a company that develops data integration and analytics software, including a service called digital twin. Palantir has been highly questioned for its role in government surveillance using AI and facial recognition software, especially in the United States under the Donald Trump administration, where it has been linked with cases of deportation.
Milei and Thiel had already met two years ago. The magnate reportedly met with other members of the government and even bought a mansion in Buenos Aires, according to local media. The contents of those meetings have not been disclosed.
The details of the program
While critics speculate that Thiel’s hermetic presence in Argentina could be related to the provision of AI surveillance services via Palantir, the human capital ministry denied involvement of any corporation in the program.
The ministry affirmed that the social digital twin system will be carried out “solely” with its own equipment, data banks, and staff, “without resorting to integrally outsourcing external companies.”
“A digital twin is a virtual representation of a real-world system. Governments, universities, and companies worldwide currently use this type of simulation to optimize processes and anticipate scenarios,” the ministry said in a statement, seemingly intended at ending the rumors of a Palantir involvement.
“Far from belonging to any particular corporation or individual, it is a methodology widely adopted globally,” it said.
The ministry added that the project will be used as a tool to “better understand social reality and improve public policies” by creating a representation of social issues, predicting potential future outcomes and designing solutions to those problems.
The digital twin will integrate already available “anonymous” information from the human capital ministry, public statistics, and territorial indicators, among other things, and no personal data will be used, the statement said.
Social welfare, employment programs, education, and social security are under the purview of the ministry.
The program is in its preliminary stages. The Herald asked a ministry spokesperson for comment regarding when it is planned to be implemented and where information will come from, but did not receive a reply at time of writing.
Criticism
Opposition politicians and technology experts shared their concerns about how the digital twin program may be implemented, how citizens’ data will be used and whether it will truly remain private, as well as the potential ties with Thiel.
“The government intends to create a surveillance system, like Orwell’s Big Brother, with the help of Peter Thiel and other businessmen from international technocracy,” socialist deputy Esteban Paulón said in an interview with Argentina12. He has requested a report with details of the program.
Developer and author specialized in technology Maximiliano Firtman said in an X post that the digital twin appears to be “a simulator of vulnerable people, fed by a lot of data, which would allow the government to simulate potential impacts of its measures like a sort of Sims (the simulation videogame) without the playful part.”
Tech journalist Julio Ernesto López warned that the digital twin could be used as a tool for “social control” and that it remains unknown how many funds the government invested in it.
Cover image credit: A Chosen Soul on Unsplash
La entrada Argentina to implement digital system that will use citizens’ data to simulate scenarios se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald.
المصدر: Buenos Aires Herald