New Yorker Article Explores Civic Life in the Machine Age
A new article by Harvard Law School Professor Jill Lepore, published in The New Yorker, features insights from several past and present affiliates of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, including Mathias Risse (current Director, Program on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies), Lawrence Lessig (former Center Director and current Faculty Associate), and Josh Simons (former Graduate and Initiative Fellow).
The article explores the "artificial state," a concept describing the automation of politics through AI and data-driven algorithms, which has eroded public trust, deepened polarization, and reshaped democracy into a system driven by corporate-controlled digital platforms. Beginning with early political automation efforts in the 1960s, Lepore details how modern campaigns and social media have exploited technology to influence voters and marginalize genuine public discourse. Critics argue that these trends promote inequality and diminish freedom, while some propose solutions like digital rights and public-interest tech to restore democratic integrity. The piece concludes that while the artificial state can't simply be undone, it can be restructured if society chooses a more human-centered approach to governance.