Who benefits from AI? Cory Doctorow’s new book has an answer

Centaur and its reverse

Doctorow borrows the imagery of the centaur from freestyle chess where humans and computers work together. He calls “a centaur is a person who is assisted by a machine,” simply put, a person who uses machines and technology (from the humble calculator to the latest buzz word, AI) to make their life easier and swifter. Doctorow then introduces the “reverse centaur,” who is a person “conscripted to act as an assistant to a machine.”

The human assists while the machine is the real mind in a reverse centaur. (Generated using AI)

In the case of a reverse centaur, the machine is the real mind behind a particular task while the human counterpart is simply there to ‘help’ the machine get to the objective. He quotes a famous scene from the American classic I Love Lucy series, where the main characters have to take bonbons, a French chocolate confection, off a belt and wrap them in paper. They are not using the machine to assist them, but are actually assisting the machine. They are reverse centaurs.

AI is inevitable! But is it really?

Using the concept of the reverse centaur, Doctorow points out that AI is being sold to us as a magic solution with a certain “inevitabilism” to it (he uses Margaret Thatcher’s slogan “there is no alternative,”) but it would do well to remember that it is based on political and economic benefits. Big tech might say it wants you to become centaurs, but it is trying to turn you into reverse centaurs.

We are living in an “AI bubble” created by tech brands such as Google, Meta and Microsoft in order to keep the cash coming, Doctorow says. He goes on to explain the economics of it, arguing that AI valuation is based on ‘accounting gimmicks’, ‘deception’ and ‘disruption’ and is actually aimed at replacing employees with software, and reducing payrolls. All of this when the software itself is not really ready to replace human intelligence.

Doctorow insists that he is not anti-AI, and has used an AI model called Whisper, which he found “delightful.” He also makes a case for AI-generated creativity, and pointing out that art in itself is a human act of communication. One might feel overwhelmed after reading the book, but that is expected with Doctorow.

Sharp, easy to understand

In a style typical to Doctorow, The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI, is written in a sharp satirical tone that will keep you hooked, and might also evoke chuckles.

As in Enshittification, Doctorow has a knack for making dense, economic and technical information feel light and digestible. He does not bombard readers with data, serving it in bite-sized servings to support his arguments. Concepts such as Goodhart’s Law are explained with simple, everyday examples.

Though not as catchy as Enshittification, The Reverse Centaur makes an important point. At a time when most people are taking pro-or anti-AI stands, Doctorow draws our attention to those who actually benefit from making AI and are actually imposing AI on people though the technology is not ready.

As for who benefits from this? Doctorow believes those driving AI are trying to make reverse centaurs of us all, making us part of an AI system for profits rather than trying to help us use AI to lead better lives. It is a must-read for those looking to know more about the power, politics and economics of AI, and for all those wondering why AI is being pushed at us all with such intensity. It is a warning for those who are blindly buying into the AI narrative. As Doctorow writes:

“The job of a good AI critic is to help pop the bubble as quickly as possible, before the walls of all our institutions are filled with this digital asbestos that we’ll be digging out for generations.”

Some might call Doctorow’s take on the AI business too cynical, but he makes a compelling case for pushing back against what might well become known in the coming days as Reverse Centaurification.

The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence Before it is Too Late by Cory Doctorow
MCD/ Verso Books
240 pp
Rs. 1,417