korrents

korrents · piece

The downside of robot solutionism

Henry Farrell · 7 Aug 2026 · programmablemutter.com ↗

3 korrents from this piece

Henry Farrell did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    Solving a systemic problem by doubling down on the same approach risks creating uncontrollable feedback loops.

    Their wordsAs a general matter, trying to solve a systemic problem by doubling down risks creating out-of-control feedback loops.

  2. Our reading

    Once a technological arms race begins, escalation can be hard to stop even if it leaves everyone worse off.

    Their wordsOnce an arms race has begun, strategic uncertainty means that it may be difficult to prevent escalation, even if it ends up making everyone worse off.

  3. Our reading

    AI-driven bureaucratic systems will develop their own internal politics and be gamed by the people subject to them.

    Their words(and it will be gamed - AI bureaucracies will absolutely have their own politics)