Israeli tech entrepreneur and Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer argued on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s “Money Movers” that the US government should restrict freedom of speech in the age of AI.
Israeli billionaire tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Cato Networks Shlomo Kramer argued on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s “Money Movers” that governments should limit freedom of expression in the age of AI.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday, weeks after ashes top Israeli defense official warned that the world will soon face the first cyber war. This meeting between Trump and Netanyahu comes amid a growing debate within some conservative circles over the scope of US support for Israel and the direction of US foreign policy in the Middle East. Netanyahu has referred to social media as a new weapon in the modern era.
“How is AI cyberwarfare shaping geopolitics right now?” CNBC host Sara Eisen asked Kramer.
Kramer emphasized that artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing cyber warfare, ranging from critical infrastructure to the structure of society and politics, arguing that it is undermining it. He claimed this gives authoritarian governments an unfair advantage over democratic countries. Kramer then made a suggestion that quickly went viral on social media, as speech advocates warned about the slippery slope government censorship.
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Shlomo Kramer, CEO of Cato Networks Ltd., at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in London, UK, on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“You see the polarization in countries that allow and protect the First Amendment, which is great. And I know it’s hard to hear, but it’s time to limit the First Amendment to protect it,” he said. “And quickly before it’s too late.”
When asked what he meant by this, Kramer argued for government control of social media.
“I mean we have to take control of the platforms, all the social platforms. We have to stack and rank the authenticity of every person who expresses themselves online, and take control of what they say, based on that ranking,” he said.
Eisen asked him to confirm that he was indeed calling on the government to do this.
“The government should do that,” Kramer said. “They should. And we need to educate people against lies. And governments need to develop cyber defense programs as sophisticated as a subattack. Today it’s a 1 to 100 ratio. And in reality, today at least, governments aren’t doing this, and companies are being left to fend for themselves.”
“Technology is developing much faster than the political system can normally respond,” noted CNBC host David Faber.
“So you have to use technology to stabilize the political system,” Kramer responded. “And you have to make adjustments that may not be popular, but are necessary.”
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Part of one of only two known copies of the official edition of the Constitution of the United States of America. The First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and religion, is considered by many to be one of the most sacred rights and values (Mike Segar / Reuters Photos)
Kramer further argued that companies like his can provide the solutions needed for this changing landscape.
Faber said China is using AI at the state level to control its population, and while the United States is indeed in a race with them, Americans are not interested in government regulation at the state level.
“And that’s a big mistake, because if China has a single narrative that protects its inner stability and the US allows multiple narratives, that gives them an unfair advantage that in the long run comes at the expense of the nation’s stability,” Kramer said. “So changes need to happen.”
Eisen noted that if such changes were made, people would do so immediately condemn them as censorship. However, Kramer argued that what is happening online is a “completely new threat” that must be addressed.
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US President Donald Trump is a staunch supporter of freedom of expression, after he himself was deplatformed after January 6, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Excerpts from Kramer’s interview quickly went viral on social media as free speech advocates condemned the idea of restricting the First Amendment.
“No. Haven’t we learned that state power without borders inevitably becomes brutal? Start limiting the First Amendment and within two years we’ll be dealing with arbitrary arrests, coerced confessions, show trials, transportation to camps, forced labor, starvation and psychological breakdown. In short, the heat of collectivism,” conservative chef Andrew Gruel said on X, appearing to reference a recent speech by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The red-haired libertarian, a popular commentator, responded to the clip by saying, “That sounds like a bunch of communist talk.”
