Can Democracy Survive the Age of AI? With Jill Lepore

The rise of the "artificial state" threatens to dismantle constitutional democracy as technology companies increasingly wield power that rivals or supersedes national governments. Harvard historian Jill Lepore traces this transition back to the 1930s technocracy movement, noting that contemporary techno-libertarian ideologies share striking parallels with historical efforts to replace democratic governance with rule by scientists and engineers. By examining literary dystopias like E.M. Forster’s *The Machine Stops*, Lepore highlights how machine-dependent societies dehumanize individuals and erode civic participation. These corporate-led infrastructures often bypass democratic deliberation, prioritizing data-driven efficiency and commercial expansion over the natural world and public accountability. Addressing this crisis requires recognizing that current technological trajectories are not inevitable but are the result of deliberate choices that demand organized democratic opposition and a fundamental re-evaluation of our relationship with both machines and the environment.