Depraved new world – How billionaires’ sci-fi dreams are wrecking the future

About this episode

The future has arrived, and it’s starting to look suspiciously like something Elon Musk and his fellow tech billionaires dreamt about as nine-year-olds. Silicon Valley’s rulers promise a world run by artificial superintelligence where scientists and engineers replace politicians – or humans disappear from government altogether. So, are they really the superheroes of the modern age they claim to be? Will AI deliver the technological marvel they promise or is their vision of techno-utopia about as real as, er, Iron Man? Harvard historian and author Jill Lepore joins Emma Kennedy to discuss where we’re headed. • Buy Jill’s book The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State from our affiliate…