Human cost of AI bubble outweighs tech’s potential

Cory Doctorow, a bestselling science fiction writer, journalist and activist, isn’t against artificial intelligence (AI) but criticizes the way tech companies sell investors and bosses on the idea that AI can replace workers, cut costs and keep companies growing forever. He introduces the concepts of "centaurs" and "reverse centaurs" to highlight power dynamics between people and AI.

A centaur is a person aided by a machine, while a reverse centaur is forced to help a machine. Doctorow emphasizes that workers should question who uses AI, from it and gets used by it. The heart of his book "The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI" is that bosses, investors and even workers are being misled into believing AI will replace people, save money and keep tech companies growing.

This false promise can cause workers to lose real jobs before the story collapses. Doctorow doesn’t agree with the notion of AI superintelligence; instead, he sees the panic as a distraction from the damage AI is already causing in workplaces, markets and public systems. He warns of the human cost of the AI bubble, pointing to workers forced to check machine output at machine speed.

This creates an "accountability sink" where the human becomes the person left holding the bag when the system fails. Doctorow hopes the AI bubble bursts before causing more damage, envisioning a future world where AI tools are judged by their actual impact on people, not by tech companies' promises.