#388 - Tecnopolítica: guerra, dinheiro e dados, com Sérgio Amadeu

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Amazon has a directorate specifically for military work, not just security, directly tying big tech to the Pentagon.

The episode begins with host Caio Bellandi introducing the topic of technopolitics, focusing on war, money, and data, in partnership with the Heinz Chibol Foundation. Guest Sérgio Amadeu, a sociologist and professor at UFABC, is welcomed. Amadeu explains his research journey into big tech's role in warfare, starting with discovering Amazon's 'defense' directorate. He describes a transformed military-industrial complex where big techs like Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle don't just sell products but embed their engineers and data centers into military operations. Amadeu debunks the ethical claims of AI companies like Anthropic, noting they accept military contracts if humans command the killings. Laura Ramos raises the concept of data colonialism, linking it to historical imperialism. Amadeu elaborates that countries like Brazil are digital colonies because they depend on technologies they don't control, exporting raw data and buying back processed services. He criticizes Brazil's technological policies, such as the 'sovereign cloud' under Dataprev, which merely locates data in Brazil but keeps control with Oracle and Amazon. Daniel Soares asks about priorities for digital sovereignty. Amadeu argues for federated data centers for Brazilian universities and public control over data, criticizing current ministers for inaction. He defines digital sovereignty as the right to choose, develop, use, and control technologies. The discussion turns to AI, with Amadeu explaining that models like ChatGPT extract patterns from data, not the original texts, raising copyright and hallucination issues. In the final segment, the hosts ask about the impact of AI and big tech on Brazil's 2026 elections. Amadeu warns that platforms controlled by billionaires aligned with Trump could manipulate visibility and erase campaigns, as seen in Colombia. He urges creating alternatives to social networks and emphasizes leveraging Latin American cultural diversity to build autonomous technologies. The episode closes with reflections on collaborative hope versus North American violent power.

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