Cory Doctorow thinks Australia should be worried about digital sovereignty

Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author, activist, and technology critic, has warned that the hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) is not inevitable and could soon burst like a financial bubble. Doctorow, who recently visited Australia to speak at The Festival of Dangerous Ideas and The Wheeler Centre, shared his thoughts on what the future of the internet might look like after the AI bubble and what brings him joy online.

Doctorow explains that science fiction writers, despite their reputation for being poor at predicting the future, are actually excellent technology critics. They focus on interrogating the impact of technology on people rather than merely describing gadgets. Doctorow uses the example of Robert Moses, a power broker in New York City, who intentionally built overpasses on motorways to prevent public buses from reaching certain beaches, thereby maintaining racial segregation. He argues that science fiction writers can anticipate the techno-politics shaped by such decisions.

The author emphasizes that the claims made by tech executives about AI, such as its ability to replace human labour and potentially reach superintelligence, are not inevitable. He argues that the future is still up for grabs, as the claims made by tech companies are often self-serving and absolute. Doctorow distinguishes between two types of claims: the impossible notion that an AI-enabled auto-complete could become super intelligent, and the self-serving belief that automation driven by capital will always improve throughput.

Doctorow clarifies that AI replacing workers is not a foregone conclusion. He points out that bosses may lower the quality of products by firing workers and replacing them with software, but this is not an inevitable outcome. He asserts that the end stage of 40 years of lax competition enforcement in the economy has led to a transfer of value and power from labour and democratically accountable institutions to capital.