Review of Doctorow's New Book: AI 'Reverse Centaur' Exploitation is Real, Solution Isn't
adariostrange · x · 2026-08-12
MARS Magazine reviewed tech activist Cory Doctorow's new book. Doctorow introduces the concept of the 'Reverse Centaur,' where humans are conscripted to serve algorithms (like delivery drivers dictated by machines), reducing humans to cheap, disposable bodies while the machine does the thinking.
The review notes Doctorow's argument that the AI industry's lie about making workers obsolete is just a sales tactic to replace employees with cheaper software. While his depiction of the AI nightmare stokes anger, the book suggests his proposed solutions lack a practical roadmap.
More from AGI Musings
- Token Consumption Explodes 14x in Six Months Driven by Agents and Reasoning — robleclerc · 2026-08-12
- Mathematicians Urged to Boycott AI Firms' Rushed 48-Hour Paper Reviews — rbhar90 · 2026-08-12
- Debate: Why Wouldn't an ASI Just Give Itself Unlimited Reward? — flowersslop · 2026-08-12
- The Key Metric in Robotics Isn't IQ, It's Cost Per Productive Hour — VraserX · 2026-08-12
- ChinaTalk Launches $25k Contest to Explore AI Evals in National Security Decisions — xeophon · 2026-08-12
- The Hiring Dilemma in the AI Era: Feigned Competence vs. Real Skills — feregri_no · 2026-08-12