Jay Baker (they/he)

“Use a pen PIN, Sideshow Bob.”

It’s what happens when we have libertarianism without socialism. One without the other is bad news.

And it’s happening in a lot of other countries - here in the UK the political culture is more right-wing than any time since at least the Second World War (and that’s saying something).

It’s Late Stage Capitalism: in order to continue business as usual in the face of all reason and evidence of its devastating effects, capitalists look to authoritarianism and fascism to ensure capitalism’s continuation.

Most potential technology will of course be acontextual and lacking any kind of critique of capitalism. I witness people I know make all kind of “wise” decisions based on career expectations or ambition and definitions of “success,” and they’re actually really miserable yet can’t seem to recognise why. I’m unconvinced AI developed by capitalist companies would provide healthier perspectives. Heck, even humans fall short in such roles as counselling, when they lack class consciousness or a critique of neoliberalism. AI probably doesn’t stand much more chance.