I write this address on the open Summit in the hopes that it will reach President Celes Aguard and her administration, as I fear that the Federation AID act will lead to short term military gains at the expense of long term weakness of the Federal economy.
I do believe that the Federation needs to come together. We have for too long operated with a luxury of autonomy, and this has left us divided and slow to react in the face of external threats. It is for this reason I was a cautious proponent of the United Response Act. I believe that a small sacrifice in member-state autonomy is necessary to ensure the protection of the wider Federation’s granted liberties and freedoms. The Automated Industry for Democracy (AID) Act was passed subsequently to the United Response Act, with the impression that it will help strengthen the Federation by boosting her industrial capabilities.
The AID Act was a mistake.
Ignoring the potential dangers of developing new variants of Rogue AI, of which we have already witnessed a massive outbreak of across New Eden, I fear the Federation AID Act will lead to an overall harm to the Federal economy.
In advocating for this bill, our president stated “The AID Act will free our citizens from drudgery with more efficient automation,” and it will. This will free countless Federation citizens from their jobs, jobs which they need to pay for food, rent, medical subscriptions, and the many other bills that plague the lower classes. Passing the AID Act, without enforcing restrictions upon how corporations may utilize this new avenue of industry, will lead to a spike in unemployment Federation wide. It will allow mega corporations to retain and hold further wealth over our citizens, leading to an economic crisis in many cities and member-states, especially where the wealth gap is already substantial. As more and more tasks and jobs are entrusted to AI, finding employment will get even harder than it already is, and this will affect a massive portion of the Federal population. An increase in unemployment and poverty leads to an increase in unrest, and this aids our enemies, President Aguard. This is a major problem, especially at at time where we have already been seeing a rise in psyops campaigns from foreign adversaries.
The AID Act needs to be repealed, or heavily regulated with the passing of additional legislation to limit the detrimental economic impact it will have. I urge Federation member-states as well, to pass legislation at the state level that will safeguard the citizens and the economy. If this does not happen it will create cracks in the foundation, giving hostile entities further footholds to leverage against the Federation.