Downstream: The Big AI Lie w/ Cory Doctorow

Downstream: The Big AI Lie w/ Cory Doctorow

From Novara Media by Novara Media

September 7, 2026 · 2h 9m

About this episode

Cory Doctorow discusses the misconceptions surrounding AI and its impact on society and labor.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Michael Walker

Guest: Cory Doctorow

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Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI

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