‘You can’t make billions without hurting people’: Cory Doctorow on Elon Musk, the AI bubble and bosses’ cruel fantasies

Editor's take

Cory Doctorow argues that the current AI boom, much like previous tech fads, is driven by a desire for profit extraction and control, not genuine advancement. He suggests that the promised benefits of AI are secondary to the immediate gains for capital, leading to a system he terms "enshittification" where platforms degrade over time to benefit owners.

This perspective frames the AI gold rush as a continuation of existing power dynamics within the tech industry, where wealth accumulation often precedes societal benefit. Doctorow's critique challenges the narrative of AI as a purely beneficial force, instead positioning it as a tool susceptible to exploitation by those seeking to maximize returns, potentially impacting users, workers, and the broader digital ecosystem.

Future developments to monitor include whether companies can sustain profitability without resorting to the "enshittification" tactics Doctorow describes, particularly as regulatory scrutiny intensifies. The long-term viability of AI-driven business models that prioritize owner profit over user experience, as seen with Meta's Threads or X (formerly Twitter), will be a crucial indicator.