The AI Con

A smart, incisive take-down of so-called ‘artificial intelligence’, exposing the real harm these technologies do to our jobs, health, society and environment, who stands to gain from them, and how to fight back. ‘You need to read this book’ BRIAN ENO ‘Written with absolute authority and incredible wit and verve’ KAREN HAO Have tech companies created artificial minds? Are they going to replace all our jobs? Will they take over the world? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are ‘no’, ‘they wish’ and ‘LOL, definitely not’. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism and devalue human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. Packed with real-world examples of the injustices and harms already being done in the name of ‘AI’, The AI Con arms you to spot the hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation it aims to hide and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A must-read...provide[s] the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it being shoved down our throats’ TIMNIT GEBRU ‘A powerful antidote to the hype’ GRACE BLAKELEY ‘Truly eye-opening...indispensable’ HA-JOON CHANG ‘A book to inoculate your mind’ YANIS VAROUFAKIS ‘Refreshing...persuasive’ GUARDIAN

A smart, incisive take-down of so-called ‘artificial intelligence’, exposing the real harm these technologies do to our jobs, health, society and environment, who stands to gain from them, and how to fight back. ‘You need to read this book’ BRIAN ENO ‘Written with absolute authority and incredible wit and verve’ KAREN HAO Have tech companies created artificial minds? Are they going to replace all our jobs? Will they take over the world? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are ‘no’, ‘they wish’ and ‘LOL, definitely not’. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism and devalue human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. Packed with real-world examples of the injustices and harms already being done in the name of ‘AI’, The AI Con arms you to spot the hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation it aims to hide and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A must-read...provide[s] the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it being shoved down our throats’ TIMNIT GEBRU ‘A powerful antidote to the hype’ GRACE BLAKELEY ‘Truly eye-opening...indispensable’ HA-JOON CHANG ‘A book to inoculate your mind’ YANIS VAROUFAKIS ‘Refreshing...persuasive’ GUARDIAN

'The blizzard of excitement, misinformation and pure hype around AI has driven many of us to want an honest guide. If, like me, you’re one of those many, you need to read this book' BRIAN ENO Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything ? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are 'no', 'they wish', 'LOL', and 'definitely not'. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used by tech corporations to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism, and devalue human creativity. Packed with real-world examples, pithy arguments and expert insights, The AI Con arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A book to inoculate your mind against Big Tech’s AI utopian hype’ Yanis Varoufakis ‘Hanna and Bender provide the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it’ Timnit Gebru ‘A powerful antidote. The authors show that these technologies will serve to deepen existing inequalities, and further 'enshittify' life and work for the vast majority of people’ Grace Blakeley ‘Truly eye-opening. An indispensable “field manual” for those who want to fight for a more humane economy and a better society’ Ha-Joon Chang ‘Fascinating and thought-provoking’ Johann Hari ‘A must-read’ Aleks Krotoski

'The blizzard of excitement, misinformation and pure hype around AI has driven many of us to want an honest guide. If, like me, you’re one of those many, you need to read this book' BRIAN ENO Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything ? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are 'no', 'they wish', 'LOL', and 'definitely not'. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used by tech corporations to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism, and devalue human creativity. Packed with real-world examples, pithy arguments and expert insights, The AI Con arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A book to inoculate your mind against Big Tech’s AI utopian hype’ Yanis Varoufakis ‘Hanna and Bender provide the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it’ Timnit Gebru ‘A powerful antidote. The authors show that these technologies will serve to deepen existing inequalities, and further 'enshittify' life and work for the vast majority of people’ Grace Blakeley ‘Truly eye-opening. An indispensable “field manual” for those who want to fight for a more humane economy and a better society’ Ha-Joon Chang ‘Fascinating and thought-provoking’ Johann Hari ‘A must-read’ Aleks Krotoski

'The blizzard of excitement, misinformation and pure hype around AI has driven many of us to want an honest guide. If, like me, you’re one of those many, you need to read this book' BRIAN ENO Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything ? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are 'no', 'they wish', 'LOL', and 'definitely not'. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used by tech corporations to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism, and devalue human creativity. Packed with real-world examples, pithy arguments and expert insights, The AI Con arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A book to inoculate your mind against Big Tech’s AI utopian hype’ Yanis Varoufakis ‘Hanna and Bender provide the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it’ Timnit Gebru ‘A powerful antidote. The authors show that these technologies will serve to deepen existing inequalities, and further 'enshittify' life and work for the vast majority of people’ Grace Blakeley ‘Truly eye-opening. An indispensable “field manual” for those who want to fight for a more humane economy and a better society’ Ha-Joon Chang ‘Fascinating and thought-provoking’ Johann Hari ‘A must-read’ Aleks Krotoski

'The blizzard of excitement, misinformation and pure hype around AI has driven many of us to want an honest guide. If, like me, you’re one of those many, you need to read this book' BRIAN ENO Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything ? The answers to these questions, as the expert authors of The AI Con make clear, are 'no', 'they wish', 'LOL', and 'definitely not'. In fact, these fears are all symptoms of the hype being used by tech corporations to justify data theft, motivate surveillance capitalism, and devalue human creativity. Packed with real-world examples, pithy arguments and expert insights, The AI Con arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and in your daily life. ‘A book to inoculate your mind against Big Tech’s AI utopian hype’ Yanis Varoufakis ‘Hanna and Bender provide the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it’ Timnit Gebru ‘A powerful antidote. The authors show that these technologies will serve to deepen existing inequalities, and further 'enshittify' life and work for the vast majority of people’ Grace Blakeley ‘Truly eye-opening. An indispensable “field manual” for those who want to fight for a more humane economy and a better society’ Ha-Joon Chang ‘Fascinating and thought-provoking’ Johann Hari ‘A must-read’ Aleks Krotoski

A smart, incisive look at the technologies sold as artificial intelligence, the drawbacks and pitfalls of technology sold under this banner, and why it's crucial to recognize the many ways in which AI hype covers for a small set of power-hungry actors at work and in the world. Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything? The answer to these questions, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make clear, is "no," "they wish," "LOL," and "definitely not." This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as "AI hype." Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In The AI Con, Bender and Hanna offer a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. Bender and Hanna show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, Bender and Hanna expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech's drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. This guide gives you the tools to see past the headlines and understand the real stakes: Corporate Influence: How the narrative around "intelligent" machines is crafted to serve corporate profit motives, not the public good. Digital Ethics: A clear-eyed examination of how AI systems are built on data extraction and surveillance--and who bears the real cost of that model. Media Literacy for the AI Age: A practical toolkit for recognizing hype in the wild--in headlines, at work, and in the products marketed to you every day. A Call for Accountability: Why citizens, workers, and policymakers all have a role to play in ensuring AI serves people rather than replacing them.

A smart, incisive look at the technologies sold as artificial intelligence, the drawbacks and pitfalls of technology sold under this banner, and why it's crucial to recognize the many ways in which AI hype covers for a small set of power-hungry actors at work and in the world. Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything? The answer to these questions, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make clear, is "no," "they wish," "LOL," and "definitely not." This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as "AI hype." Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In The AI Con, Bender and Hanna offer a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. Bender and Hanna show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, Bender and Hanna expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech's drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. This guide gives you the tools to see past the headlines and understand the real stakes: Corporate Influence: How the narrative around "intelligent" machines is crafted to serve corporate profit motives, not the public good. Digital Ethics: A clear-eyed examination of how AI systems are built on data extraction and surveillance--and who bears the real cost of that model. Media Literacy for the AI Age: A practical toolkit for recognizing hype in the wild--in headlines, at work, and in the products marketed to you every day. A Call for Accountability: Why citizens, workers, and policymakers all have a role to play in ensuring AI serves people rather than replacing them.