Paulina Borsook on Tech, AI, and Billionaire Madness

About this episode

Paulina Borsook discusses her book 'Cyberselfish' and critiques billionaire tech culture and AI's societal impacts.

Paulina Borsook In this Plutopia News Network conversation, Paulina Borsook reflects on the coming reissue of her book Cyberselfish with a mix of gratitude, puzzlement, and discomfort, describing the book as an imperfect but timely snapshot of Silicon Valley’s long-standing libertarian mindset rather than a tightly argued work, while also noting how strange it feels to be newly celebrated for writing she produced 25 years ago after years of professional frustration and obscurity. The discussion broadens into a sharp critique of billionaire tech culture, Elon Musk, AI hype and “AI slop,” the environmental and social costs of generative AI, and the enduring antisocial impulses embedded in parts of tech culture, themes that the hosts connect to newer books about elite survivalism and Silicon Valley ideology. Along the way, Borsook praises the AI-assisted satirical video “Greenland Defense Front” as a rare example of AI used creatively under clear human artistic control, and the group also touches on war, oil, Trump, market manipulation, parasocial relationships, internet culture, fandom, and the fading of once-vital spaces like CFP and old South by Southwest, ending with details…

People in this episode

Host: Plutopia News Network

Guest: Paulina Borsook

Topics covered

• tech culture
• AI
• billionaire influence
• Silicon Valley
• environmental costs
• social implications
• internet culture

Keywords

• Silicon Valley
• libertarian mindset
• generative AI
• market manipulation
• fandom
• parasocial relationships
• elite survivalism

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Greenland Defense Front

Books & works: Cyberselfish

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