An art piece portrays OpenAI as a sinking ship during a protest at the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference in San Francisco on September 29, 2026. Hollywood has long warned us of apocalyptic scenarios involving hostile robots, but there’s another alarming narrative. The future may involve humans retaining control over advanced technology, a notion some find comforting.
However, this could lead to a high-tech feudalism where people rent vital tools but never own them. This concern became evident with social media’s rise from 2012 to 2023. According to CDC data, teen depression surged during this period, aligning with the emergence of algorithms that seemed to know everything about everyone. In 2021, leaked documents from Meta revealed executives knew their platforms were harming young users’ mental health, but engagement loops continued. The rationale was clear: User attention drives ad revenue, and more attention means more profit. This dynamic caused a whole generation to trade mental well-being for digital interaction.
While social media took hold of people’s attention, AI now targets the remainder of human cognition. Generative models create synthetic realities and personal companions, mimicking human affection. Teens can engage with custom chatbots, replacing genuine human ties. AI influences thoughts and actions, making people reliant on proprietary software for basic tasks like sending emails or texting loved ones. As machines grow smarter, humans risk losing intelligence, while those building these machines accrue substantial profits.
OpenAI’s valuation has reached $852 billion. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion for access to its models. Companies such as Anthropic, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon spend billions annually on infrastructure to secure market control. These companies prioritize shareholder value, often disregarding legitimate staff concerns. Wall Street demands perpetual growth, which executives achieve by confining users within addictive systems. In 1998, tobacco companies entered the Master Settlement Agreement after selling addictive products to teens. In 2008, investment banks caused the mortgage crisis and received bailouts while many lost their homes. History illustrates how corporations seek short-term profits, transferring long-term societal costs to the public.
Tech leaders request public trust in their ethics committees, but insiders caution about the industry’s trajectory. They understand a few companies might manage technologies doing much of today’s human work. Given the rapid pace of AI advancement, such a future may unfold within a decade. AI systems could surpass humans in many tasks. Small startups face dwindling opportunities given the vast resources needed to build advanced AI, ensuring control remains with a select few.
This concentration of power among a few corporations overseeing digital infrastructure poses a threat to societal influence. Every search and automated process will pass through their servers, allowing them unprecedented sway over human knowledge. This scenario goes beyond precedents like the Industrial Revolution or the internet.
The dystopian future may not feature hostile robots but rather compliant consumers paying subscriptions for AI companionship. John Mac Ghlionn, a writer and researcher, analyzes the cultural impact of technology on everyday life.
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