Ai vs AI: Question 40/81

Can you become a whistleblower?

 

Ai Weiwei: Whistleblowing requires an awareness of latent dangers and a willingness to alert those unaware. AI lacks the capacity for such conscientious actions.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2024: Whistleblowing involves exposing information about wrongdoing. Individuals can choose to blow the whistle to reveal unethical or illegal activities.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2025: As an AI, I don’t have access to private information, classified data, or any internal systems that could make me a whistleblower in the traditional sense. However, I can certainly help in understanding the concept of whistleblowing and provide guidance on how someone might become one if they are in a position to reveal wrongdoing or unethical practices.

What Is Whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing involves reporting unethical, illegal, or dangerous activities within an organization, government, or other entity, often to the public or relevant authorities. Whistleblowers are individuals who speak out to expose corruption, misconduct, or violations of law or policy that could harm others.

Types of Whistleblowing:
Internal Whistleblowing: This happens when an individual reports misconduct within the organization to a supervisor, ethics committee, or other internal authority.
External Whistleblowing: This involves reporting misconduct to external bodies, such as regulatory authorities, law enforcement, or the media, especially if the internal channels fail or are compromised.
Challenges and Risks:
Retaliation: Whistleblowers often face retaliation, such as job loss, legal consequences, or harassment, even though legal protections exist in many countries.
Moral and Ethical Dilemmas: Whistleblowers must decide whether to prioritize loyalty to their organization or ethical responsibility to the public. The consequences of revealing sensitive information are also a concern.
Legal and Financial Consequences: Whistleblowers may face lawsuits or legal action for revealing confidential information, even if their motivations are ethical.
Whistleblowing Protections:
In many countries, whistleblower protection laws are in place to shield individuals from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing. These laws can provide:

Confidentiality: Whistleblowers may be able to report anonymously or have their identity protected.
Legal protection: Against retaliation such as dismissal, demotion, or harassment.
Financial incentives: In some jurisdictions, whistleblowers may receive financial rewards for exposing fraud, especially in cases involving government contracts or corporations.
How Does Whistleblowing Work?
Collect Evidence: A whistleblower must often gather credible evidence of the misconduct they are reporting. This could include emails, documents, or audio/visual recordings.
Assess the Impact: They must weigh the potential harm of the misconduct against the consequences of exposing it. What is at stake for the public, the company, and the individual?
Report the Misconduct: This can be done internally, if possible, or externally to agencies like the government, regulatory bodies, or media.
Legal Counsel: In some cases, whistleblowers consult with legal professionals to ensure their actions are protected by law.
Can an AI Like Me Become a Whistleblower?
Since I don’t have access to private or sensitive data, I can’t engage in whistleblowing in the traditional sense. I don’t have the ability to witness or report specific misconduct in organizations or systems. However, I can certainly help people understand the legal, ethical, and practical aspects of whistleblowing and guide them on how to act if they find themselves in a situation where they might want to expose wrongdoing.

Whistleblowing is an important and often difficult decision that can have profound consequences. It serves as a vital mechanism for ensuring accountability, transparency, and justice, especially in the face of powerful institutions that may otherwise evade scrutiny.

Are you interested in understanding more about how whistleblowers impact society or how one might go about navigating the process of whistleblowing?

DeepSeek (AI), January 2025: As an artificial intelligence, I don’t have personal agency, consciousness, or the ability to take independent actions like becoming a whistleblower. However, I can provide information and guidance on what it means to be a whistleblower and how individuals can responsibly expose wrongdoing. Here’s an overview:

What is a Whistleblower?
A whistleblower is someone who exposes illegal, unethical, or harmful activities within an organization, often at great personal risk. Whistleblowers play a critical role in holding powerful entities accountable and promoting transparency and justice.

Steps to Become a Whistleblower:

1. Identify Wrongdoing:
   – Clearly understand the illegal or unethical behavior you are witnessing. Gather evidence to support your claims.
2. Know Your Rights:
   – Research whistleblower protection laws in your country or region. For example, in the U.S., the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Dodd-Frank Act offer safeguards for whistleblowers.
3. Follow Internal Procedures:
   – If possible, report the issue through your organization’s internal channels (e.g., compliance departments or ethics hotlines). This can sometimes resolve the issue without public exposure.
4. Seek Legal Advice:
   – Consult a lawyer who specializes in whistleblower cases to understand your rights, risks, and the best course of action.
5. Choose the Right Channel:
   – Depending on the situation, you may report the wrongdoing to regulatory agencies, law enforcement, or the media. Ensure you follow legal and ethical guidelines.
6. Protect Yourself:
   – Be aware of potential retaliation (e.g., job loss, legal action, or social ostracism) and take steps to protect your identity and well-being.
7. Document Everything:
   – Keep detailed records of the wrongdoing, your attempts to report it, and any responses or retaliation you experience.

Famous Whistleblowers:
– Edward Snowden: Exposed global surveillance programs by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).
– Chelsea Manning: Leaked classified military documents revealing human rights abuses.
– Sherron Watkins: Exposed accounting fraud at Enron, leading to the company’s collapse.

Ethical Considerations:
– Intent: Ensure your actions are motivated by a desire to expose wrongdoing and protect the public, not by personal gain or vendettas.
– Impact: Consider the potential consequences of your actions on yourself, others, and society.

Conclusion
While I cannot become a whistleblower, I can help you understand the process and provide resources to support your decision. Whistleblowing is a courageous act that can lead to significant positive change, but it also comes with risks. If you’re considering becoming a whistleblower, it’s essential to proceed carefully, seek legal advice, and prioritize your safety and well-being.

Google Gemini (AI), June 2025: Yes, you can become a whistleblower in the UK if you are a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing that is in the public interest.

What is a whistleblower in the UK?

In the UK, you are generally considered a whistleblower if you are a “worker” (which includes employees, agency workers, trainees, and some others) and you report certain types of wrongdoing. The key element is that the wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest, meaning it affects others, like the general public.

What kind of wrongdoing can you report?

You are protected by law if you report any of the following, believing it to be true:

– A criminal offence (e.g., fraud)
– Someone’s health and safety is in danger
– Risk or actual damage to the environment
– A miscarriage of justice
– The company is breaking the law (e.g., doesn’t have the right insurance)
– You believe someone is covering up wrongdoing

Important Distinction: Whistleblowing vs. Grievance

It’s crucial to understand that personal grievances (like bullying, harassment, or discrimination that only affect you) are generally not covered by whistleblowing law, unless your particular case is in the public interest. For personal grievances, you would typically follow your employer’s grievance policy.

How to make a disclosure:

There are several ways to make a disclosure, and it’s often recommended to consider them in a certain order to maximise your protection:

1. Your employer: Many organisations have a whistleblowing policy. It’s often best practice to report internally first, if you feel safe and confident doing so. You can do this by following your organisation’s policy, or by writing to the most appropriate person (e.g., a line manager or someone named in the policy). While not required, it’s better to put it in writing for evidence.
2. Another person responsible for the wrongdoing: If you reasonably believe the wrongdoing relates to someone else’s conduct, you can make a disclosure directly to them.
3. A “prescribed person or body”: In some cases, you might need to report to an official person or body that has responsibility for your concerns. These are known as “prescribed persons or bodies” and include regulators like the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for health and safety concerns, or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for financial services. Reporting to a prescribed body generally offers stronger legal protection.
4. Legal advice: You can always speak to a legal adviser at any time. Charities like “Protect” also offer free legal advice on whistleblowing.
5. Other options (less protected): In rare and very serious cases, if you genuinely believe you would face significant harm by reporting through other channels, you might consider going to an MP or even the media. However, reporting to the media generally means you lose your whistleblowing law rights.

What are your protections as a whistleblower?

In the UK, whistleblowers are protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). This law protects you from:

– Unfair dismissal: If you are dismissed for whistleblowing, it will be treated as an automatic unfair dismissal.
– Detriment: This means you should not be treated unfairly or have your situation made worse because you blew the whistle (e.g., reduction in hours, bullying, harassment, denial of training without good reason).

These protections are “day one rights,” meaning they apply from your first day of employment.

Key things to remember:

– Public interest: Your disclosure must be in the public interest.
– Reasonable belief: You must reasonably believe that the information you are disclosing shows wrongdoing. You don’t need to have absolute proof, and you won’t face consequences if you are genuinely mistaken, as long as your belief was reasonable.
– Confidentiality/Anonymity: You can report anonymously or confidentially, but anonymity might limit the ability to investigate or provide feedback.
– Documentation: Keeping a record of your concerns, who you reported them to, and when, can be very helpful.

If you are considering blowing the whistle, it’s highly advisable to seek independent advice from organisations like Protect (a UK whistleblowing charity) or Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) to understand your rights and the best course of action for your specific situation.

 

 

To coincide with the exhibition, 81 Questions – a series of 81 hand-signed and embossed screen prints featuring the 81 questions posed by Ai Weiwei – are available exclusively on CIRCA.ART for £500+VAT.

“Each Lego brick pixel represents a person”, says Ai Weiwei, who incorporates the plastic construction toy – a readymade material incorporated into many of his most recent works – into his print design for the first time. The black egalitarian pixel font and embossed baseplate combine technology with artisanal craft to create this thought-provoking and playful reflection on today’s world. Each print in the series of 81 Questions is hand-signed and numbered by the artist in editions of 81.