Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, contends that the most pressing danger from artificial intelligence is not a runaway apocalypse but the concentration of its capabilities within governments, large corporations, and authoritarian regimes. He argues that the narrative of AI "ending humanity" is largely sensationalist, while the real risk lies in tools that can be weaponised to monitor, censor, and control populations.
Decentralized Computing as a Countermeasure
Gladstein promotes a model where AI inference runs locally on laptops and smartphones, eliminating the need to send data to remote servers. This approach, he calls the "Freedom Stack," combines encrypted processing, openly available model weights, and on-device execution. By keeping both the code and the data under the user’s control, the stack aims to prevent external manipulation and preserve privacy.
Training Activists to Harness Open-Source AI
The Human Rights Foundation runs programs that teach human-rights defenders how to deploy these local AI tools. Workshops cover everything from building custom language models to integrating AI-driven analysis into advocacy work. Participants also learn how to pair AI insights with blockchain-based financial solutions, creating a toolkit that is both technologically advanced and resistant to censorship.
Hackathons Focused on Freedom Tech
To accelerate development, the foundation hosts hackathons that bring together technologists, activists, and Bitcoin enthusiasts. These events focus on creating practical applications—such as secure communication platforms, automated fact-checking bots, and privacy-preserving data collection tools—that can be used in repressive environments. The collaborative format encourages rapid prototyping and open-source sharing.
Bitcoin as a Financial Lifeline
Gladstein highlights several real-world examples where Bitcoin has provided an alternative to state-controlled monetary systems. In Kenya, users combine the cryptocurrency with mobile-money services like M-Pay to bypass banking restrictions. In Venezuela, Bitcoin has become a critical source of value for citizens coping with hyperinflation and political turmoil. He argues that these cases illustrate how a decentralized currency can act as a bulwark against economic coercion.
Central Bank Digital Currencies as a Repressive Tool
The interview also touches on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which Gladstein views as a potential instrument for surveillance and control. By design, CBDCs can grant authorities granular visibility into transaction flows, making them attractive for regimes seeking to limit dissent. In contrast, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous nature and decentralized ledger offer a degree of opacity that is harder for governments to exploit.
What "Freedom Money" Really Means
According to Gladstein, the term "freedom money" should be understood as a financial system that cannot be unilaterally frozen, seized, or censored. Bitcoin’s open protocol, combined with locally run AI that can help users navigate volatile markets and protect privacy, embodies this concept. The synergy between decentralized finance and decentralized computation, he suggests, could reshape how activists secure both their data and their livelihoods.
Why it matters
If AI continues to centralize under a few powerful entities, the risk of state-backed digital oppression grows. By championing on-device AI and Bitcoin, Gladstein presents a tangible pathway for individuals and movements to retain agency over both information and finance. The approach could influence policy debates on AI governance, inspire further development of privacy-first technologies, and reinforce the role of decentralized networks in defending human rights worldwide.
