Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy

In her forthcoming book "The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State," historian Jill Lepore contends that technology corporations are progressively assuming the roles traditionally held by democratic governments. Lepore describes this development as a "return to tyranny and mystification" characterized by "rule by algorithms, corporations, machines."

On TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Lepore, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and New Yorker staff writer, elaborated on her perspective that private corporations are replacing the state's functions.

Lepore maintains that she is not an anti-technologist; rather, her concern lies in the increasing infiltration of private corporations into governmental affairs. She emphasizes that the transformations in the workings of nation-states have been gradual and often unintentional, with many innovations initially motivated by efficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, she notes that in recent years, these decisions have become deliberate and purposeful in their attempt to supplant the nation-state's role.

The rise of the artificial state, as defined by Lepore, signifies a departure from centuries of democracy and equal rights. She views it as a dark return to tyranny and mystification through rule by machines. While acknowledging the potential benefits of technological advancements, Lepore asserts that private corporations have taken over governmental functions without proper consent.

She attributes this shift to a series of political decisions influenced by libertarian ideologies in the 1990s, which sought to diminish the nation-state's importance in favor of the internet era.