'AI could be used to control society,' warns sociologist

Technology Dec 21, 2025

Sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom is raising the alarm about how artificial intelligence (AI) might be used by those in power to keep their grip on society.
Speaking in Detroit, she pointed out that talk of an "inevitable" AI future mostly reflects the fears of wealthy people worried about how well they can maintain control over others.
Cottom believes this narrative is less about tech and more about powerful interests shaping our reality.

Why Cottom says we shouldn't just accept an AI takeover

Cottom encouraged everyone not to buy into the idea that an AI-dominated future is set in stone.
She compared it to old myths, like chattel slavery, that were once treated as unchangeable.
By pushing back, she says we can build a fairer world where technology serves us—not the other way around.