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Resistance to Technology: "Artificial Intelligence Attacks Everything"
🇩🇪 Germany /Technology

Resistance to Technology: "Artificial Intelligence Attacks Everything"

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Human geographer Thomas Dekeyser argues that humans should resist overwhelming technology, even by "destroying machines."
  • He contends that current technologies, like AI, increasingly benefit the few at the expense of the many, citing AI in warfare and job displacement.
  • Dekeyser suggests that developing strong negative feelings towards current technological transformations is a necessary response.

In a world increasingly shaped by powerful technologies, the question of human resistance arises. Human geographer Thomas Dekeyser, in a recent interview with DIE ZEIT, provocatively suggests that the answer might lie in "destroying machines." This is not necessarily a call for literal sabotage, but rather a powerful metaphor for rejecting the current trajectory of technological development, which he believes disproportionately benefits a select few.

The machines around us increasingly serve the few and less and less the many.

— Thomas DekeyserExplaining his view on how current technology benefits a select group.

Dekeyser points to the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a prime example. He highlights how AI systems are increasingly developed for warfare or to replace human workers, while the profits are concentrated in the hands of CEOs and employers. Similarly, social media platforms, designed to be addictive and to surveil users, often fail to foster genuine connection. This concentration of power and the erosion of individual autonomy are, for Dekeyser, deeply concerning trends.

And when that happens, as it has not for the first time in history, then smashing the machines increasingly feels like the logical answer.

— Thomas DekeyserDescribing the potential human reaction to perceived technological overreach.

From a German perspective, Dekeyser's critique resonates with ongoing debates about the societal impact of digitalization and automation. While Germany is a leader in technological innovation, there is also a strong undercurrent of concern regarding job security, data privacy, and the ethical implications of AI. The idea of actively developing "negative feelings" towards these transformations is a stark reminder that technological progress should not come at the cost of human well-being and societal equity. It challenges the often uncritical embrace of new technologies and calls for a more critical, perhaps even resistant, stance to ensure that technology serves humanity, not the other way around.

But a space is currently opening up – and I would say: a necessity – to develop extremely negative feelings towards the current transformations.

— Thomas DekeyserAdvocating for a critical emotional response to technological change.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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