If you read my last article, AI Abundance is a Lie, you might think there is little room for optimism about our future.

We have ultra-concentrated wealth, captured politics, and AI systems built by billionaires who openly oppose either empathy or sharing. Forty-five years of productivity gains have gone to capital owners while workers got nothing. The path to structural change was blocked at every turn by people who benefit from keeping things exactly as they are.

At Davos 2026, Elon Musk sat across from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and said: "With robotics and AI, this is really the path to abundance for all." He wasn't alone. Tech leaders and futurists have been selling a similar vision for years - a world where artificial intelligence and automation handle the dirty work while humanity reaps the benefits. More productivity, less scarcity, prosperity for everyone.

It's a compelling story. It's also a lie.

This is Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 8 – Stand Out

If you missed the earlier posts, you can find them here:

• Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,Part 5,Part 6

"Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow"
—Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny

Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 6 – Be Wary of Paramilitaries If you missed the earlier posts, you can find them here:

If you missed the first posts of this series, you'll find them here:

• Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,Part 5

Timothy Snyder’s sixth lesson is:

Be Wary of Paramilitaries

This one feels like something from a dystopian TV show, not your neighborhood. But Snyder’s warning is based on real history: when unofficial armed groups start acting with government approval—or indifference—that’s a red flag. When they're used to intimidate protestors, voters, or marginalized groups, it's not just about violence. It's about silencing people through fear.

If you missed the first posts of this series, you'll find them here:

• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 1
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 2
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 3
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 4

Holding the Line: The Role of Professional Ethics

Timothy Snyder reminds us that professionals play a critical role in resisting tyranny. Lawyers, doctors, journalists, engineers—these are the people who keep systems running and, ideally, keep them honest. But when professionals cave under pressure, institutions lose their integrity, and corruption spreads like a bad case of malware.

If you missed the first posts of this series, you'll find them here:

• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 1
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 2
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 3

Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 4 – Taking Responsibility for Our Online World

In his book "On Tyranny," historian Timothy Snyder challenges us to "take responsibility for the face of the world" by removing hate symbols. But in 2025, nasty stuff doesn't just show up as swastikas spray-painted on walls — it's embedded in our feeds, comments, and search results.

If you missed the first posts of this series, you'll find them here:

• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 1
• Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 2

Timothy Snyder's third lesson is:

Beware The One Party State

This one is especially important for all Americans to pay attention to right now.

Donald Trump made the following statement during a speech on Friday, July 26, 2024, at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida:

If you missed the first post of this series, you'll find it here: Using Technology To Oppose Tyranny: Part 1

Timothy Snyder's second lesson is:

Defend Institutions

Since this series is about using Technology To Oppose Tyranny, I thought this section would be a good place to demonstrate how you can use AI, in this case the Deep Research model provided by Perplexity.ai, to assist you in figuring out what you can do. Which institutions should you defend, if you want to oppose tyranny?