Historian Jill Lepore Warns Tech Corporations Are Eroding Democracy Through the Artificial State

In an interview discussing her upcoming book, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore warned that private technology companies are increasingly supplanting the core functions of democratic nation-states. Speaking on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Lepore explained how Silicon Valley leadership has embraced concepts from misread science fiction, creating corporate structures that mimic governments and risk dismantling democratic self-governance.

What Happened

Lepore, who recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her history of the U.S. Constitution, outlined the central thesis of her forthcoming work. She defines the “artificial state” as both an idea and an emerging construct wherein the liberal democratic nation-state is replaced by the rule of algorithms, machines, and private corporations.

According to Lepore, the integration of new technologies into government operations initially began with well-intentioned goals such as increasing speed, efficiency, and reducing costs. However, over the past two to three decades, prominent technology figures have purposefully advanced philosophies aimed at moving beyond the traditional nation-state model. Lepore emphasized that she is not anti-technology, but rather opposed to private corporations assuming state functions without public consent.

Key Highlights

• Corporate State Trappings: Lepore cited several developments illustrating how tech firms adopt governmental roles, including Facebook News establishing a “Supreme Court,” Anthropic hiring a moral philosopher to write a constitution, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussing the idea of an AI president on the Joe Rogan podcast.
• Misreading Science Fiction: Lepore argued that tech leaders, including Elon Musk, frequently treat warning stories and ambivalent parables from science fiction as direct manuals for building companies, often misinterpreting themes that contradict their political outlooks.
• The Evolution of Progress: Lepore traced the belief that “technological change equals progress” back to the 19th century, when rapid industrialization coincided with Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, displacing earlier frameworks centered on moral and human progress.
• Distortion in Social Media: Using Twitter’s history as an example, Lepore noted that while the platform positioned itself around 2012 as a digital town hall, data at the time showed that over 90% of political tweets came from fewer than 10% of active users, creating a distorted political reality rather than a representative electorate.
• Inherent Ecological Limits: In literary traditions and historical analysis, Lepore noted that artificial states are ultimately doomed because their extensive operational demands destroy the natural world upon which human survival relies.

Why This Matters

Lepore’s analysis points to a growing disconnect between technological development and democratic accountability. As tech platforms take on public administration and communication infrastructure, citizens face major policy and environmental shifts without direct representation. Lepore highlighted local disputes over data center construction—such as a project in Salt Lake where over 70% of residents opposed a data center that elected officials supported—as evidence of rising friction between corporate tech expansion and community interests regarding water, energy, and employment.

What to Watch Next

As technological infrastructure expands, Lepore suggests that public reactions to data center energy and water consumption may increasingly manifest at local elections and public town meetings, provided democratic processes remain functional enough for citizens to hold representatives accountable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the “artificial state” according to Jill Lepore?

Lepore defines the artificial state as a system where private technology companies, algorithms, and automated systems usurp the traditional functions of liberal democratic governments.

Is Jill Lepore opposed to modern technology?

No. Lepore stated explicitly that she is not an anti-technologist and supports intellectual and technological innovation. Her critique focuses on private corporations taking over democratic state responsibilities without democratic consent.

Why does Lepore argue the artificial state is doomed to fail?

Drawing on science fiction traditions and historical analysis, Lepore explains that an artificial state requires immense natural resources while alienating humans from the natural environment, ultimately threatening the habitable conditions necessary for human life.

Source: TechCrunch Equity Podcast interview with Jill Lepore; book information via W. W. Norton & Company.