Sci‑fi author and tech journalist Cory Doctorow returns with The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI, a follow‑up to his earlier critique of platform excess. He defines a “reverse centaur” as a human reduced to a data‑feed for machines, citing Amazon drivers surveilled by AI as a stark example. Doctorow argues the industry pushes this model beyond useful augmentation.

Doctorow warns that investors fuel a frenzy for massive foundational models, pouring $150 billion into AI over the past three years alone. He likens the bubble to “asbestos” in tech infrastructure, noting that seven AI firms now dominate a third of the market and rely on a shared $100 billion IOU. When growth stalls, the costly data centers that sustain these models will become unsustainable.

The author suggests the antidote lies in exposing hype and restoring competition that forces firms to respect real constraints. By highlighting cases where AI replaces rather than augments professionals—such as radiologists stripped of decision‑making—Doctorow shows how the narrative of inevitable AI dominance threatens jobs and economic stability. The book calls for a pragmatic reassessment of AI’s role in society.