Jill Lepore - The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 14:53:41 -0800

The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore describes itself as an “inquiry into what humans mean and intend in abandoning constitutional democracy, the liberal nation-state, and even humanity itself for rule by automation, government by machine, and replacement by artificial intelligence.” The book attempts to outline the growing influence of automation, statistical prediction, and future-oriented thinking on the state. The first half focuses mostly on historical analysis, which starts in earnest with the 19th century. This part of the book looks at the demystification of the world by science and technology and the changes in belief that accompany that new knowledge, especially as concerns government. To me, the main focus of this portion seems to be the impact that statistics and prediction have had on elections. The second half of the book looks at science fiction narratives, both utopian and dystopian, tracing the ways they are understood and brought to life by people using technology. In this later half, the focus turns more to the shifting balance between animals, humans, and machines, outlining how machines take on the roles that humans previously ascribed to nature and biology.

Artificial Intelligence on Matt Hambro

Jill Lepore - The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State