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6 days agoHuh I read a dystopian short story about AI micro-managing workers, constantly telling them what to do next to optimize productivity. It ends with near “perfect” dystopian wealth concentration. While in another part of the world they used AI to create a utopia.
Oh it was called Manna by Marshall Brain
The gradual takeover of jobs by AI (starting with fast food), The warehousing of the unemployed in state-controlled facilities, A techno-utopian alternative (Australia) where AI liberates rather than enslaves.
I couldn’t remember it either. I described it to deepseek in order to find it. Ironically it mistakenly thought
If you find it, let me know. I think I might have been conned by deepseek.
spoiler
Why the Mix-Up?
Both works critique technology-driven capitalism, but Doctorow’s focus is distinct:
Radicalized targets corporate control via IoT devices, insurance cruelty, and policing 612.
Manna explores algorithmic worker management leading to dystopian/utopian outcomes.
I incorrectly merged these narratives due to overlapping themes of technological oppression. My apologies for the oversight.