The current hype surrounding AI adoption feels intense and cult-like due to its impact on cognitive labor, which threatens white-collar jobs and creates existential fears. This hysteria is structurally driven by powerful actors with aligned incentives, such as big tech companies and executives who use AI to justify layoffs and shift blame. The rhetoric around AI often uses absolutist and moral language, creating a status theater that exaggerates AI's capabilities while downplaying its current limitations. This moment feels dystopian as it reframes humans as inefficiencies, prioritizing optimization over empathy and meaning. The narrative around AI is partly propaganda, driven by real capabilities but exaggerated claims, and a grounded perspective recognizes AI's potential without succumbing to apocalyptic or utopian views. This matters because it highlights the need for a balanced approach to AI, emphasizing human judgment and responsibility amidst the hype.
