Decent article: Make no mistake — AI is owned by Big Tech.

Relying on a few unaccountable corporate actors for core infrastructure is a problem for democracy, culture, and individual and collective agency. Without significant intervention, the AI market will only end up rewarding and entrenching the very same companies that reaped the profits of the invasive surveillance business model that has powered the commercial internet, often at the expense of the public.

This is essentially the “Four Providers” throughline in my AI Lore books. With the assumption/projection that AI companies will one day in the not too distant future take over the functions previously reserved to government, in the face of epic climate collapse. Perhaps still in the realm of sci-fi, but the seeds of such a possible future at times feel quite palpable and spooky…

Related writing & research