Palantir CEO warns companies controlling data can shape how people think

Technology companies that control vast amounts of personal data could use it to influence people's thinking, Palantir co-founder and CEO Alex Karp warned in an interview released Tuesday.

Americans worry about what the government knows about them but pay less attention to how technology companies use the information they willingly share, Karp told journalist Walter Isaacson on The Builders podcast.

People tend to view sharing personal information online as a choice, Karp said, but may overlook how the recommendations they receive on digital platforms can shape their opinions.

"If you have companies controlling all data, they will control what you think or heavily influence what you think," Karp said in the interview, recorded in August.

He argued that commercial data collection raises serious privacy concerns even when governments are not directly involved.

Palantir, which Karp co-founded, develops AI-powered data analysis software used by military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Asked about surveillance, Karp defended the use of the company's tools when authorized by a legal mandate but warned that surveillance was among AI's most dangerous potential applications.

He said such systems could be deployed by both companies and governments and called for restrictions on certain AI technologies, including legislation preventing systems developed for military use from being deployed domestically.

Karp also accused large language model developers of using customers' proprietary data to improve their AI systems without giving the organizations supplying that information sufficient control.

Businesses could effectively pay for an AI service while contributing valuable data that might eventually be used to develop competing products, he argued.

Karp said companies and countries should retain greater control over their data, AI models and sensitive technological systems.

AI's economic impact

Karp said AI could create more and better-paying jobs, particularly for people in working-class and vocational occupations, but warned that it could also widen the wealth gap.

Those who own or develop AI systems could accumulate wealth far more quickly than other workers, he said.

He called on governments to address the disparity while ensuring that taxation and redistribution policies improved the lives of lower-income people.

However, he opposed a wealth tax, arguing that enforcing it could require intrusive monitoring of personal property.