How to Think About AI Before It’s Too Late
6/19/202649 min
Cory Doctorow has a refrain: “The most important thing about a gadget isn’t what it does; it’s who it does it for and what it does it to.” In this episode of “Galaxy Brain,” he sits down with Charlie Warzel to talk about the AI boom, making the case that the hype, vision, and dreams of endless growth are unsustainable. Doctorow expands on his viral “enshittification” thesis: a critique of AI based around power and whether we are using AI tools or being used by them.
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First 90 secondsGrant Hill0:00
Join me, Grant Hill, for a deeper look at what it means to be a thought leader today. Watch The Drive to Lead, a new series from Range Rover and Atlantic Rethink at theatlantic.com/drivetolead.
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Cory Doctorow· Guest0:43
Bosses are infinitely horny for firing workers and replacing them with machines, and they have been since forever, right? That's the story of the Industrial Revolution. They just-- There's, there's something about this, and it's not just cutting costs. I think that if you're the boss, you are haunted by the knowledge that if you don't show up for work, the business just ticks over as per normal. But if all the workers don't show up, that's-- you're out of business. And so maybe you tell yourself you're driving the car, but secretly you worry that you're in the back seat with a Fisher-Price steering wheel. And one of the things about AI is it, is it dangles the possibility of wiring the toy steering wheel into the car's drivetrain.
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