“We have to be smart, to be critics of this disgusting, harmful, anti-worker, fascist project, so that we attack it at its material roots and detonate it as quickly as possible, rather than letting this bubble run its course.”
Michael Walker in conversation with technology critic and sci-fi author, Cory Doctorow.
Watch the full episode of Downstream on our YouTube channel.
AI is set to take all of our jobs. It will irrevocably transform our relationships - and it might even kill us all. These are some of the big claims made about artificial intelligence today. And they are claims that on Novara, we take seriously. This week's Downstream guest thinks that giving weight to those grand concerns is a mistake. He believes that by talking up the possibility that AI could replace significant amounts of labour - or develop an agency of its own - only serves to exaggerate the capacity of AI - and therefore just helps tech CEOs drive more investors to buy their already overpriced stocks.
Cory Doctorow is a writer and activist - who’s written 36 books - spanning non-fiction and science fiction. He famously coined the term “ensh*ttification” to describe the modern trajectory of the internet. And he has a new book on AI - it’s called the “The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI”. As Aaron Bastani takes time off on paternity leave, Michael Walker, host of Novara Live, sat down with Cory to ask one of the world's leading tech writers his burning questions about AI.
Is Cory surprised at the speed of AI's so-called "evolution"? What does the latest AI "Hugging Face" tell us about AI? Does the AI presented to us in 2026 present a threat to life on Earth, or is that just hype? Is it really intelligent, or just a simulacrum of intelligence? Does it matter?
0:00 Intro
2:23 Ensh*ttification: Word of the Year
13:51 How to Critique AI
17:19 Don't Believe the AI Hype
29:34 So Is It Stupid to be Worried About AI?
33:29 The Bubble: Why AI Companies Are Losing Money
40:27 Roman Metallurgy to Spaceships: Path Dependency
41:44 Addicted to Growth: Why Companies Are Pursuing the Economics of a Bubble
52:47 Are LLMs Better than Good Google?
1:00:25 Should We Let AI Replace Radiologists?
1:11:59 The Case for Agnosticism on AI Versus Deep Scepticism
1:16:13 The Hugging Face Debate: Is AI Really Thinking?
1:36:40 Is AI "Evolving" So Fast It Could Pass Us By?
1:44:16 How Can You Be Sure the AI Isn't Dangerous?
1:49:37 Is ShoddyCyber Sec the Real Problem?
1:54:05 The Beauty of the Double Pendulum
1:54:56 What Is the Reverse Centaur and How Does It Explain AI?
1:58:45 Fordist Factory Lines to AI: How Workers Use - And Are Used By - Technology
2:05:04 The Climate, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, and the Work We Have to Do
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Tickets for Downstream IRl with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor in Brighton
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US politician Thomas Massie has read out a list of 14 prominent people who he says should be investigated over their alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Being named in the Epstein files does not imply guilt. Many who Massie named have not been charged with a crime and deny all wrongdoing.
Ex-Barclays boss Jes Staley has denied having sex with someone dressed as Snow White after an email showed Epstein asking him: "What character would you like next?" He has said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes.
Billionaire Leon Black has said he was unaware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and denied any wrongdoing.
Former Victoria's Secret CEO Les Wexner has denied wrongdoing, describing himself as "naive” for trusting Epstein.
Ferrari board member Lapo Elkann said he crossed paths with Epstein only twice in public and that he has been unfairly associated with him based on “wholly unfounded information”.
Magician David Copperfield was investigated by the FBI over an alleged rape, a 2019 document showed, adding that the case was closed because prosecutors were “intimidated” by his financial resources. He denies all wrongdoing.
Ex-Hyatt Hotels boss Thomas Pritzker stepped down from the role after his affiliation with Epstein was made public this year. He said he “exercised terrible judgment” in keeping in contact with Epstein.
Billionaire Glenn Dubin was accused of having sex with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. He and his wife have called the allegation “demonstrably false and defamatory”.
Hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai was accused of sexually assaulting one of Epstein's former aides in 2000. He denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
Ex-Maserati director Eduardo Teodorani is named in the files. He has not been charged with a crime or commented on the matter publicly.
Modelling scout Jean-Luc Brunel died in jail in 2022 awaiting trial for rape and trafficking. Modelling scout Daniel Siad died in July while being investigated for rape and trafficking.
Musician Ramsey Elkholy has said he was not aware Epstein was abusing women. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all wrongdoing, as has Epstein’s ex-assistant Lesley Groff, who said she was manipulated by him.
Richard Hames reports from Reform UK's 2026 conference in Birmingham, the morning after a report released by Verbatim alleged that senior members of Reform had committed electoral fraud.
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Activists from Climate Resistance disrupted Friday’s Reform UK conference, with one shouting “billionaire bootlicker” as party leader Nigel Farage came onstage.
Four protesters were dragged out of the venue in Birmingham by security guards.
Earlier in the day, protesters from the same group blockaded the conference's entrance and unfurled a large banner that read: “Reform: the billionaires’ choice.”
Activists from Greenpeace also draped a remote-controlled banner behind Richard Tice during his speech that read “collect £5 million, burn the planet” and depicted Farage as cartoon character Mr Monopoly.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced his plan to stand in Keir Starmer’s vacated seat of Holborn and St Pancras.
Plus: The bond markets are already punishing Andy Burnham, Novara’s Harriet Williamson reports from a Palestine Action press conference, and CBS joins Fox News in mounting Islamophobic attacks on Abdul El-Sayed.
00:00 Intro
1:17 Polanski Makes Bid For Starmer’s Old Seat
15:11 Bond Markets Panic Over Burnham Budget
27:59 Palestine Action Press Conference
45:00 CBS Launches Attack On Abdul El-Sayed
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & James Meadway.
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http://novara.media/support
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