Is Tech Dismantling Democracy?
Summary
Harvard historian Jill Lepore discusses her new book, "The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State," arguing that technology is corroding American democracy by replacing human consent with machine governance. She traces this shift to the 1930s Technocracy movement and the 1960s "people machine," noting that Silicon Valley’s libertarian ethos now prioritizes corporate control over public deliberation. Lepore highlights how social media bots and targeted ads distort public opinion, while the physical expansion of data centers sparks growing public backlash. Ultimately, she frames the current mo…
Topics discussed
Introduction: Jill Lepore and the 1930s Technocracy movement
Technocracy's rise, failure, and link to Elon Musk's grandfather
Defining the 'Artificial State' as machine governance
The erosion of the public sphere by bots and corporate rules
How Twitter/X became a skewed tool for political deliberation
History of targeted ads and the 1958 'People Machine'
Silicon Valley's belief in technocracy and rejection of history
Misreading science fiction and the dehumanization of daily life
The potential for a better internet and the data center backlash
Balancing the benefits of the internet against democratic risks
The 'Fall' of the artificial state and resource limits
Federalist No. 1 and the choice between consent and machine rule
Closing remarks and show credits
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