Pluralistic: Billionaire solipsism, dictator solipsism, AI, and the fascist paradigm (13 May 2026)
Doctorow argues the ruling class is drawn to AI due to solipsism: powerful people see others as statistical artifacts. He links projects like DOGE to the fantasy of replacing bureaucrats and workers with chatbots, ignoring that statecraft involves irreducible political trade-offs no AI can solve.