“Back in 2013, it took about an hour to analyse a minute of video. Today, the AI models [can take just] one hour of processing to interpret 30 hours of video. When this is done on-chip (embedded in convenience store cameras, shopping malls, hospital waiting rooms) AI can identify voices, faces, and movement patterns without human involvement,” he says.
Edward Snowden has issued a stark reminder that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) must be tempered with stronger safeguards for privacy and human rights. Speaking at the SuperAI Singapore 2025 event, the former NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower called for urgent action to avoid a future where “freedom from the system” no longer exists.
Snowden described the explosive growth in machine vision, voice analysis, and behavioural prediction as a “frightfully useful” force now being deployed with little public scrutiny. Combined with exponential improvements in processing power, these capabilities are making real-time surveillance possible as well as commercially viable at scale.
