Historian Jill Lepore says Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy

Historian Jill Lepore, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor, has warned that Silicon Valley's embrace of technological power risks undermining democratic governance. In an interview with TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Lepore discussed her forthcoming book The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, in which she argues that tech companies are increasingly assuming roles traditionally held by governments. She describes this trend as a dangerous shift toward an “artificial state”, a system governed by algorithms, corporations, and machines, rather than by elected representatives accountable to citizens. Lepore emphasized that her critique is not aimed at technology itself, nor at individual innovators. Instead, her concern lies with the growing influence of private corporations over public life. She pointed to figures like Elon Musk, whose vision for the future appears to draw heavily from misinterpreted science fiction and comic books. According to Lepore, Musk’s ambitions, such as creating autonomous systems or governing through AI, reflect a misunderstanding of historical and philosophical principles that could lead to a form of rule-by-algorithm, reminiscent of dystopian narratives. The concept of the “artificial state” is central to Lepore’s argument. She defines it as a construct that replaces the traditional liberal democratic nation-state, both as a tangible entity and as an ideological framework. Her book traces the origins of this idea, showing how it has evolved over centuries and gained momentum in recent decades. The artificial state, she claims, represents a departure from democratic ideals and equal rights, marking instead a return to forms of control that resemble tyranny and confusion. Lepore noted that while early efforts to integrate technology into governance were driven by a desire for efficiency and cost reduction, the past two decades have seen a more deliberate and strategic effort to replace national institutions with corporate-led models. This transformation, she explained, has occurred largely without public consent and has been particularly pronounced in the United States. Many of today’s leading tech entrepreneurs openly advocate for moving beyond the nation-state, a sentiment that echoes earlier libertarian futurist ideas from the 1990s. She further criticized the notion of platforms like Twitter as “digital town halls,” arguing that such labels ignore the fundamental differences between public discourse and corporate-controlled spaces. Lepore highlighted ongoing resistance to the expansion of tech company power, including a growing backlash against data centers and other infrastructure projects that enable large-scale surveillance and control. Her concerns extend to the broader implications of allowing private entities to assume governmental functions. Lepore stressed that while innovation and progress are valuable, they must be balanced with accountability and transparency. She called for a renewed commitment to democratic values, warning that the unchecked growth of the artificial state threatens to erode the foundations of free societies. As debates over the role of technology in governance continue, Lepore’s warnings serve as a cautionary narrative. They underscore the need for vigilance in ensuring that technological advancement does not come at the expense of democratic participation and civic responsibility. The challenge ahead will be to navigate the complex relationship between innovation and governance, ensuring that the benefits of technology are harnessed without compromising the principles of liberty and justice.