The Prospect Podcast Ethan Zuckerman: How to escape the internet hellscape
Jun 11, 2025
Ethan Zuckerman, an Associate Professor at UMass Amherst and a pioneer of pop-up ads, shares his insights on the current digital landscape. He tackles the 'enshittification' of the internet and how AI's rise complicates academia. Ethan critiques the anti-labor agenda of tech leaders while revealing the transformative potential of AI in education. He emphasizes finding positivity in niche online communities and highlights his students' creativity as a source of hope amidst a dystopian tech future.
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Teaching AI to Aid Students
- Ethan Zuckerman shares teaching experiences with AI usage in universities.
- He finds AI helpful in writing and critical thinking rather than simply a cheating tool.
AI as Unpredictable Demonology
- AI is powerful yet unpredictable and behaves like a demon we try to constrain.
- The technology remains mysterious even to creators, resembling witchcraft rather than rational computing.
AI’s Anti-Labor Agenda
- AI systems embody an anti-labor agenda aiming to replace human work.
- This vision resembles industrial automation used to control labor and maximize efficiency.