Code of Power: Why the Hidden Power Struggle behind AI puts Democracy at Risk
An urgent, informative and activist pamphlet on the risks of AI, full of sound ideas for how Europe can counter the threats it poses.
Expectations for AI are high, very high. Within a few years, it has taken hold of our lives and is now used in government, the military, healthcare and education – or to find answers to random questions on countless subjects. At the same time, concerns about the risks loom equally large in all sections of society in which the use of AI is already an everyday reality. The breakneck speed at which this technology is spreading through algorithms and chatbots is itself frightening and, to some extent, paralysing. We fear its impact on medical care, independent journalism, education and science, its potential to cause mass unemployment and even spell the end of democracy. Some even ask: ‘Will AI wipe us out?’
Marietje Schaake has spent years researching the power of tech companies and the extent to which they pose a threat to democracy.
In this lucid manifesto, as chilling as it is hopeful, Schaake dissects the power struggle behind AI, making a convincing case that we and Europe as a whole possess the ability to control and own that power. She shows readers how to view AI with an independent eye, how to avoid being overwhelmed by the feeling of being in a race against the clock, and how we shouldn’t meekly accept the rules dictated to us by big tech, but follow our own. With its large market and its own technology companies, Europe is well placed to develop independently of the US, and form new political coalitions and uphold its own values. In her own words: ‘Europe has the chance to show that we do not have to choose between innovation and democracy. Let us stop idling and stop allowing ourselves to be pushed around. We can take the initiative in shaping AI according to our own needs and values. It is a huge opportunity. And, regrettably, it is desperately needed’.
Code of Power is informative, activist and full of practical ideas. An urgent and hopeful pamphlet.
Marietje Schaake is a non-resident fellow at Stanford University and writes a monthly column for The Financial Times. Her book The Tech Coup was published in 2024 and became a worldwide bestseller. She represented the Dutch political party D66 in the European Parliament for ten years.