Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and the Misreading of Science Fiction
This article critiques the influence of Silicon Valley billionaires on the development of artificial intelligence and space exploration. It argues that these leaders are pursuing a 'dream of the Artificial State' that prioritizes corporate autonomy over democratic governance.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing tension between private tech interests and public democratic oversight in the era of rapid AI advancement.
The Artificial State is less a state than a dream of being without one, the dream of the severing of humans not only from the natural world but also from one another, every umbilical cord cut. An extreme form of this dream is the actual plan of a very small number of staggeringly powerful 21st-century merchant princes, Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires who, seeking escape from the prison of their own bodies, intend to have their heads frozen when they die and, possibly, consciousnesses uploaded onto computers, an idea that, like much of what they want, comes from a story published nearly a century ago in a science fiction magazine for boys.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in