AI in the Wrong Hands: Why Good People Must Step Up
At MettaHealth Partners, we believe in technology’s potential to transform health and human services ecosystems for good. But we also know that every tool can be used in service of harm. Artificial intelligence is no exception.
The same advances that promise breakthroughs in medicine, social services, and public health can — and already are — being weaponized by bad actors. As President Obama warned years ago, AI is not just about efficiency or productivity; it’s about power, jobs, and the very fabric of society. Ignoring this reality won’t make it go away.
Too many people are still avoiding the conversation, thinking AI is either “not my problem” or “someone else will figure it out.” But silence creates the space for those who exploit technology to gain ground. We need more good actors — people of integrity, people who care about communities, equity, and justice — to educate themselves and step in.
How Bad Actors Are Already Using AI
● Disinformation and deepfakes. AI-generated voices and videos are being used to spread falsehoods, sway elections, and erode trust in institutions.
● Fraud and cybercrime. Personalized phishing schemes, voice impersonations, and identity theft are becoming easier and cheaper to scale.
● Surveillance and control. Authoritarian regimes and private firms alike are leveraging AI to monitor, predict, and suppress people’s behavior.
● Autonomous weapons. AI-powered drones and other systems are being designed to harm without human oversight.
● Economic inequities. Concentration of data and power risks widening the gap between those who benefit and those who are left behind.
This is not a distant possibility. It’s happening now.
Why Avoiding AI Is No Longer an Option
At MettaHealth, our work shows us how technology touches the most vulnerable people — seniors, those with disabilities, families relying on community services. If we do not understand AI, we cannot protect them.
● Ignorance is not protection. You don’t need to be a coder, but you do need to know enough to ask questions.
● Good actors must claim space. If ethical, community-minded leaders sit on the sidelines, the narrative is shaped by those who don’t have people’s best interests at heart.
● The time is now. We cannot wait until the harm is entrenched — safeguards, norms, and accountability must be built today.
A Call to Action
MettaHealth Partners invites you to step into this conversation.
● Learn. Start with curiosity. Read articles, attend webinars, talk with people who are working at the intersection of AI, ethics, and social good.
● Engage. Bring AI into your team meetings, your policy discussions, your community forums. The stakes are too high for silence.
● Advocate. Push for transparency, fairness, and accountability in how AI is developed and deployed — especially in health and human services.
● Lead with compassion. Use your influence to ensure AI protects dignity, fosters equity, and advances well-being.
At MettaHealth, our mission is rooted in loving-kindness — in caring actively for the well-being of others. We see AI as a powerful tool that can either deepen disparities or advance human dignity.
We need more good actors to join us. Educate yourself. Ask hard questions. Step into the arena. Because the best protection against AI in the wrong hands is a community of informed, compassionate leaders willing to use it for the right reasons.