One of the biggest fears that everyday Americans carry around is that artificial intelligence (AI) will turn our country into a surveillance hellhole like Communist China. One county in West Virginia has announced that it’s already doing that to its citizens. Marion County (population 56,000) says it is the nation’s first “smart county” and it will now have AI monitoring everyone in all public spaces at all times. Naturally, this is being done under the guise of “public safety.”

Biometrics tech firm ROC has developed a system called “Vision AI” that will be deployed all across the county. The system integrates AI analytics with every camera in Marion County that’s connected to the internet. This includes everything from police bodycams and city security cameras to your Ring doorbell and your cellphone. This will deliver continuous, real-time monitoring of every citizen to the government.

Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) obtained a $1 million grant from the Department of Justice to set up this draconian surveillance grid. Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle specifically asked for the money so that law enforcement could spy on his citizens 24/7 with this technology.

Everyone should really start to worry when they learn what Vision AI is capable of. It integrates with every existing internet-connected camera. That includes things like license plate readers and police bodycams. But it also has facial recognition capabilities. It has the ability to track your license plate over time and distances. It can detect your gender, age, ethnicity, and emotional state. It can tell if you have facial hair or tattoos.

Most worrisome is the claim that the software can tell if you’re carrying a firearm or a vaguely described “suspicious device.” Given that West Virginia is a constitutional carry state, is having a surveillance system that can detect whether you’re carrying a concealed firearm—lawfully—a good idea?

And what exactly is a “suspicious device?” If a street camera spots a bag of fertilizer in the bed of your pickup truck, will the cops pull you over on suspicion of possessing bomb-making materials? Who is setting the guidelines under which this system will be imposed on the citizens of Marion County?

Vision AI has already been set up in all the schools in Marion County. They sell these systems to gullible school administrators and parents by pretending that they will prevent school shootings or other scary events. Because we all know how school shooters hate being on camera or becoming famous!

ROC admits that Marion County is a “test case” and if its creepy, Orwellian surveillance grid is a success, they’ll be rolling it out in many additional communities across the country. Big Brother really will be watching everything you do, at all times.

At this point, you have to wonder if any industry or lobbying group is ever going to speak out about this rush to implement AI everywhere in society. Or will we all shrug and hope that the AI crocodile eats us last? Some school districts are already talking about firing all their teachers and replacing them with AI within the next two years. Will the teacher unions finally say something then?

The privacy implications of these AI systems are shocking. Think about how many devices in your home are connected to the internet. Do we really want some robot overlords spying on us 24/7, supposedly for our own good?