The rich and powerful have hijacked progress throughout history, says Daron Acemoğlu. They did so back in the Middle Ages and also now in the age of artificial intelligence. In an interview, the MIT economist dives into the question of whether Silicon Valley is plunging humanity into destitution.
    • saucyloggins@lemmy.worldEnglish
      171·
      1 year ago

      Trump is almost 1:1 a character straight from Transmetropolitan.

      Then you have people like Elon that are straight from any cyberpunk media corporate heads.

      The parallels between the themes of a cyberpunk dystopia and the present are drawing pretty close.

      We just don’t get any of the cool shit like cybernetic implants.

  • photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    I’m really worried about what will happen when a paradigm-changing technology is in the hands of a precious few. The last few times went alright. But will this time be different?

    • markr@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      The last time was social media, and that hasn’t has benefited anyone except the shithead billionaires who got rich off of it. Social media is an astounding disaster.

  • Chickenstalker@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    The Fediverse is the first pebble rolling down the hill of corporate internet. 3D printers, AI generated media, right to repair, modular phones and laptops, all are the beginning of the end of mega tech companies in the consumer sphere. Our grandchildren will look at us the same way we look at medieval societies.