Intelligence Squared · 2026-08-28 · 39 min · 6,598 words

Can Democracy Survive the Age of AI? With Jill Lepore

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Welcome to Intelligence Squared where great minds meet. I'm senior producer Mia Sorrenti. As artificial intelligence plays a growing role in the decisions that shape our lives. What happens to democratic power? And when the companies building these technologies rival governments in their reach and influence, who gets to decide what our future looks like?

On today's episode, Jill LePore, historian, Harvard professor and staff writer at The New Yorker, joins Mythily Rao to discuss her new book, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, and how technology is changing the relationship between citizens, corporations, and the democratic state. Let's join our host Michael E Rao now with more. You're listening to Intelligence Squared, I'm Micah Le Rao. My guest today is Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill LePore. Jill, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks so much for having me. Jill, as someone who's followed your work for a long time, I was very excited when I first got a galley of this book.

Um the artificial state, you write is a fantasy about humans, machines, and the earth. Which threat to dismantle constitutional democracy and the liberal nation state. In favor of rule by automation, government by machines, and replacement by artificial intelligence. We are clearly at a moment of profound transition. Things are changing fast, almost faster than we can understand. And here you are with a book to help us start to think clearly about what's happening.

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