The 'AI dependence' argument is 163 years old: Butler's 1863 predicted acquiescence, not domination
Smart_Fly_5783 · reddit · 2026-09-09
A Reddit post traces today's AI risk debate back to Samuel Butler's 1863 letter 'Darwin Among the Machines', which argued the real danger isn't machines seizing power but humans finding machines so useful they become impossible to remove — at which point the question of who is in charge is already answered.
- Butler called this 'acquiescence in our bondage', a distinct claim from 'superintelligence takes over'.
- It parallels modern arguments about algorithmic dependence, attention-economy lock-in, and infrastructure too embedded to undo — applicable to any indispensable technology.
- The letter is also the direct source of the 'Butlerian Jihad' in Dune, a fact most people don't know.
- The author asks whether 'acquiescence through indispensability' is a genuine standalone risk category or just recurring dependence anxiety that greets every major new technology.
Related event: Redditors Note Butler Predicted AI Dependence 163 Years Ago(2 posts)→
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