Tech Won't Save Us

Paris Marx is joined by Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay to discuss the geopolitics behind China’s investments in green tech and electrification, and how it presents the prospect of a new development model based on renewables instead of fossil fuels. Kate Mackenzie is an adjunct fellow at Macquarie University. Tim Sahay is co-director of the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University. They are the co-writers of the Polycrisis newsletter [https://www.phenomenalworld.org/series/the-polycrisis/] from Phenomenal World. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: * Tim and Kate wrote about the potential role of the BRICS [https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/brics-in-2025/] in future geopolitics. * The Financial Times explored the implications of China as an electrostate [https://www.ft.com/content/f86782fa-9f2e-448a-b710-29e787dc9831]. * China leads the growing electric vehicle market, ⁠by a lot⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/ev-sales-china-iea-1.7535190]. * Pakistan imported 17 gigawatts of solar panels [https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/pakistan-solar-energy-panels-imports-china-b2732711.html] in 2024 alone, as Africa is in the midst of its own surge [https://www.wired.com/story/african-imports-of-chinese-solar-panels-increase/] in Chinese solar panel imports. * Trump’s policies are pushing China and India to ⁠strengthen ties⁠ [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/20/did-trumps-tariff-war-force-india-and-china-to-mend-ties].

Paris Marx is joined by Cecilia Rikap to discuss how countries’ dependence on US tech companies is harming them and why they need to get serious about digital sovereignty. Cecilia Rikap is Associate Professor in Economics at University College London and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: * Cecilia (and Paris!) worked on a report offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty [https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10202865/]. * The UK Labour Party forced the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority to step down [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/21/chair-of-competition-watchdog-steps-down-after-labour-intervention] earlier this year to promote its pro-growth agenda. * A Microsoft executive told a French Senate committee that it could not guarantee data sovereignty [https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/microsoft_admits_it_cannot_guarantee/] if the US government requested information stored on its servers in Europe. * Alexandre de Moraes is the Brazilian judge [https://www.reuters.com/technology/brazil-prosecutors-question-meta-over-changes-fact-checking-program-2025-01-08/] pushing back against big tech. * The US is sanctioning judges from the ICC [https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/international-criminal-court-deplores-new-sanctions-us-administration-against-icc-officials] (as well as Alexandre de Moraes [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/30/us-sanctions-brazils-supreme-court-judge-overseeing-case-against-bolsonaro]) Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Benanti to discuss what Pope Leo XIV’s statements on AI, the publications under Pope Francis, and the ethics of AI from a theological perspective. Paolo Benanti is an author, academic, and priest. He teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University and was an advisor to Pope Francis on artificial intelligence and technology ethics. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: * Paris wrote about [https://www.disconnect.blog/p/will-pope-leo-xiv-be-an-ally-against] what Pope Leo XIV and the Church have been saying about AI. * In June, Pope Leo sent a message [https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/pont-messages/2025/documents/20250617-messaggio-ia.html] to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence. * Under Pope Francis, the Church published a note on AI called Antiqua et nova [https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/01/28/0083/01166.html#ing]. Here is a short breakdown [https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-01/new-vatican-document-examines-potential-and-risks-of-ai.html] of its content. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Paris Marx is joined by Matt Pearce to discuss how Google’s use of generative AI is sending far less traffic to all manner of websites, but especially news publications, and what that might mean for the future of journalism. Matt Pearce is Director of Policy at Rebuild Local News and a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: * Matt makes the case that unchecked AI may cause newsprint to outlive the hyperlink [https://mattdpearce.substack.com/p/ai-could-cause-newsprint-to-outlive] * AI scrapers are driving traffic away from traditional sites [https://www.pcmag.com/news/wikipedia-faces-flood-of-ai-bots-that-are-eating-bandwidth-raising-costs] while increasing their operational costs. * Learn more about coping with news fatigue [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/feeling-overwhelmed-by-the-news-heres-how-to-protect-your-mental-health/]. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire’s Islamophobic attack on Zohran Mamdani, what it tells us about the state of tech’s politics, and how Donald Trump is enriching himself through crypto scams. Jacob Silverman is a journalist and the author of the forthcoming book Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781399419987]. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: * Jacob has reported on the Aqua 1 Foundation’s mysterious crypto [https://www.jacobsilverman.com/p/revealed-trumps-100-million-man] deal that puts $75 million dollars in Donald Trumps pocket. * Trump signed the GENIUS Act [https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/7/18/trump-says-newly-signed-crypto-law-will-establish-american-dominance] last week, which aims to make crypto more mainstream and is widely viewed as openly corrupt [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/17/trump-crypto-memecoin-corruption]. Trump has already made millions of dollars [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/21/trump-djt-bitcoin-net-worth.html] from crypto. * Crypto is coming [https://www.ft.com/content/07906211-5ab8-4917-bcad-5397c0bc3170] for the US 401k. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]