It’s hard not to be awed by the promise of artificial intelligence. The headlines are relentless: AI diagnoses cancer faster than doctors, translates languages in milliseconds, creates realistic art, and drafts legal documents in seconds. We’re told to celebrate. We’re told the future is here.

And yet, lurking beneath that optimism is a quiet dread. For all the glossy marketing about empowerment and democratization, a very different reality is unfolding: jobs are vanishing, livelihoods are threatened, and entire industries are being restructured—not around people, but around algorithms.

Why is it that we’re being told to cheer for a future where most of us might be obsolete?

The Tech Industry’s Double Narrative

Tech companies—and the billionaires who helm them—are masters of a double narrative. Publicly, they speak in utopian tones about unlocking human potential, solving climate change, and bringing about a golden age of efficiency. Privately (and sometimes not so privately), they talk about cost-cutting, automation, and reducing headcount.

In this story, AI is a savior. In reality, it’s a power play.

Companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta are not charities. They are commercial enterprises whose incentives are tied to scale and speed. …