To the Editor:

I’m a big fan of computers—made my living with them. I love it when they do tedious work for me, when they calculate
numbers. When they do what I tell them. I was in the driver’s seat.

Not so much anymore. I still love them. I’m not a complete naysayer on AI, but I recognize how much the game has changed.
For those who haven’t been as deeply immersed in technology as I have, I want to spread the word.

As most already know, AI doesn’t just do what it’s told—it learns from data, recognizes patterns, and makes decisions on
its own. It writes essays, fires workers, selects job applicants. It analyzes satellite images for military targets—
deciding who lives and who dies. And it does all this with limited human oversight, at a speed none of us can match.

This is more than just a faster calculator. It’s a new kind of decision-maker—one built by a handful of powerful companies,
trained on data we didn’t always agree to give.

That means AI is being used to decide who qualifies for a loan, whose job gets cut, or when emergency services respond.
It’s important to be aware that this is happening.

Here are three concerns we should all be paying attention to:

1. Lack of transparency. We often don’t know when AI is making decisions—or what data it’s using.

2. Loss of control. AI is increasingly built into systems we rely on, from hospitals to schools to farms.

3. Concentration of power. A small group of companies and governments now control systems that affect billions of lives.

So how do we respond?

Stay informed. Ask hard questions of our local and federal leaders. How is it being implemented in our schools? By the
city? By law enforcement? Push for laws that ensure AI is used transparently, ethically, and in the public’s interest—not
just for profit or control.

The data that’s been collected by our government has already been exposed to known hackers through DOGE. Google Edward

Coristine aka “Big Balls.” None of Musk’s DOGE workers were vetted. Our data, in the wrong hands, turns us from citizens into a marketable product.

The industry needs guardrails, now. Not 10 years unregulated and unconstrained.

Pay attention. Ask questions. Use your voice. Call your representatives. This has enormous implications.

Pat Collins,

Fillmore, Ca