Wynton Hall, who directs social media at Breitbart News, recently sat down with Larry Elder to discuss his new book, Code Red: Left, Right, China, and the Race to Control AI. He emphasized that conservatives are lagging behind the left in AI’s development and warned that this technology could be used to silence conservative voices and influence elections.
During the conversation on the Larry Elder show, Hall pointed out that AI is more than just a tool; it’s essentially a “political power.” He argued that conservatives need to grasp what the left plans to do and how it has been positioning itself for years to use AI for political gain.
Hall explained that he wrote Code Red to help people reduce their learning curve about this pressing issue.
“We aimed to show how AI affects everything—education, national security, technology for censorship, jobs, and even relationships,” Hall elaborated.
When Elder inquired about the left’s intentions for AI, Hall cautioned that “the left has been figuring out ways to use this technology as a weapon for years.”
He provided an interesting case: “In 2016, a young man mentioned on his blog that he wanted to fund a study where he’d give people $1,000 a month unconditionally.” This, Hall noted, turned into a “$60 million study” on universal basic income, which at that time was the largest of its kind in the U.S. The young man believed that AI would eventually necessitate universal basic income.
“That young man was Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI,” Hall remarked, reminding Elder that it happened back in 2016.
“OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, released ChatGPT in November 2022,” Hall continued, highlighting how Altman had projected the need for universal basic income and wealth distribution almost six years ahead of time. “Many of these tech figures are deeply involved in such discussions,” he noted.
“I aimed to introduce our movement to their beliefs and let them express their views,” Hall said about the revelations in his book.
On the topic of jobs, he commented, “What tech experts claim is different now compared to the industrial revolution is that they believe if we enhance human cognitive capacity rather than merely physical labor, AI could replace many of the new jobs created.”
He mentioned that Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, recently predicted that “within the next year to five years, half of white-collar, entry-level jobs will be replaced by AI.” That’s quite a bold statement.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) noted Hall’s book as a “must read,” emphasizing that he understands the conservative battle against Big Tech better than most. She said he’s “uniquely qualified to discuss how we can harness AI’s potential without exploiting children, creators, or conservatives.” Michael Shellenberger, an investigative journalist, described Code Red as “edifying” yet “alarming,” calling it crucial for stimulating discussions about fighting against Big Tech’s authoritarian tendencies.
