The Powerful AI Shaping the World: Meet Aladdin
Aladdin, BlackRock's proprietary software platform, is revolutionizing the way the financial industry approaches investment management and portfolio construction. But with its immense power comes a host of ethical and political issues that must be addressed.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a hot topic in today's society. From self-driving cars to virtual assistants, AI is all over the news, and it's no wonder why. Tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, and Midjourney can no longer be overlooked. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. But there is an AI that has shaped our world for over a decade. An AI that is much more powerful and influential than others. It's called Aladdin.
Aladdin is a proprietary software platform developed by multinational investment firm BlackRock. The company has tremendous power and influence over the global financial system. It owns most of the banks in the United States and most of the major pharmaceutical companies. It also controls a sizeable part of all stocks traded worldwide. Plus, it's worth half of America's total GDP. BlackRock uses Aladdin for investment management and portfolio construction. The software managed about $21 trillion just in 2020.
Aladdin generated $1.1 billion in revenue in 2020. AI is a vital asset to BlackRock and the investment company hasn't stopped investing in the system since then. Some think Aladdin is the most powerful AI in the world, and for good reasons.
The most influential factor in the development of Aladdin was the failure of BlackRock founder and CEO Larry Fink in 1986. Larry Fink made a series of profitable trades followed by one massive failure. Which ended up costing his job, losing over $100 million in a matter of months. Analysis of this failure pointed towards the use of technology to prevent future mistakes. Aladdin would be the solution to this problem. With tremendous computing power, BlackRock is now able to use historical data to create accurate and complex pricing models. For any asset.
So why is it so important for citizens to understand Aladdin? And how is this AI shaping our world?
Simply put, Aladdin and BlackRock are telling the financial world where to invest. This is done, among other things, by assigning an ESG score to companies. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. An ESG score is a rating system used to assess a company's or organization's performance in relation to these three dimensions. ESG scores are intended to reflect the level of social and environmental responsibility. As well as the way they are governed. Which may indicate future performance, stability, and reputation.
If Aladdin gave a company a bad ESG score, the entire financial world would stop pouring money into it. As a result, some organizations are changing their strategies and actions with the aim of achieving better ESG scores. As an example, Netflix may choose to produce one TV show instead of another only to meet Aladdin's demands. Big companies and technologies are part of our daily lives whether we like it or not. It is Aladdin who shapes these companies. Thus, everyone is subjected to AI decisions.
The power of Aladdin comes with many other ethical and political issues. One of the main concerns is the lack of transparency and accountability. Aladdin is a closed system with little transparency. Making it difficult for regulators and the public to understand how the platform is being used. Rumors says that BlackRock itself has little control over the detailed operation of the tool. This reminds of the story of Victor Frankenstein, who lost control over the creature he himself created.
There are also questions around how accountable BlackRock is for the actions of its users. And the potential consequences of those actions. In addition, the platform stores a large amount of sensitive financial data. BlackRock should ensure data security and privacy. It is important that our data is secure and not shared with unauthorized persons.
In summary, Aladdin is a powerful tool that is revolutionizing the way BlackRock and other financial institutions approach investment management and portfolio construction. But with that immense power comes a host of ethical and political issues to grapple with. It is essential for the public to be aware of the influence of technology like Aladdin and the impact it has on our lives. The future starts now.