Jill Lepore is a Professor of American History at Harvard University, professor of law at Harvard Law School, and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the New York Times bestsellers These Truths and We the People. 

Lepore argues that modern society is starting to treat people the way factories treat animals—sorting us, separating us, and making us feel isolated—especially because of technology. In her view, humans are slowly being shaped to serve machines, instead of the other way around.  Technology—especially artificial intelligence—is rapidly changing how society works, and not in a good way. Have we become overly dependent on data and algorithms?

Political campaigns now rely heavily on bots and attention-grabbing algorithms instead of real human connection. Big global media companies have a huge influence over what people think and talk about. At the same time, traditional democratic governments are weakening, while powerful tech billionaires gain more control, often using AI tools in ways that resemble authoritarian rule.

Lepore warns that this trend could lead to a future where AI systems guide or even make decisions for society instead of elected leaders. This shift, she says, is damaging democracy, weakening communities, and making it harder for people to govern themselves.

Even though her message is alarming, Lepore sees a different future. She believes this “Artificial State”—a system where decisions are made without real human input—can be broken down, just like harmful systems in the past (like feudalism or slavery). But to do that, people first need to understand how it works and where it came from.