"Predator's Hour": Giuliano da Empoli, a Concerned Visionary
In this rapidly evolving world, it feels like we're on a rollercoaster ride. From advancements in artificial intelligence to political upheavals and increased conflicts, the world's course seems eerily unstable. Ex-political advisor and current essayist, Giuliano da Empoli, serves as a modern-day seer, chronicling the chaos and offering insights into the mysteries shaping our world.
In his latest book, The Hour of the Predators (editions JC Lattès, 2019), he exposes the key players behind the "mega-disasters" steadily unfolding in the shadows, aided by tech titans and new national-populist leaders like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, and Matteo Salvini. This book is a concerning, yet captivating portrait of our times, filled with high-flying anecdotes that, together, form a chilling narrative.
Da Empoli, a seasoned observer of power dynamics throughout France and Italy and a skilled storyteller, teaches at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. In this book, he paints striking portraits that are bound to raise eyebrows, making it hard to distinguish reality from fiction.
"Sometimes, reality is more imaginative than fiction," notes the author from Paris. "Certain situations and characters in this book would be deemed implausible if they appeared in a work of fiction."
The book delves into the silhouettes of impactful figures like Donald Trump, Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman – a modern take on Machiavelli's infamous figure, Cesare Borgia. But also the CEOs of major tech companies like Elon Musk and Sam Altman – influential figures shaping our world in ways both astounding and alarming.
According to Da Empoli, this alliance between tech titans and authoritarian leaders has led to chaos becoming the new norm, a status quo marked by brute force and a disregard for rules. However, he believes it was not just chance that brought us to this stage. In his opinion, it's also the result of a form of cultural submission by the old political elites to the tech machine.
Years ago, digital chaos may have been a weapon wielded by the powerless against the system. Today, however, it has become the hallmark of the powerful and dominant, a tool for creating social turmoil and sowing discord. Da Empoli dubs this process "rituals of degradation," expressing his concern that we are sliding into something new and uncertain.
From Canada, the perspective may not be comfortable, but there's a sense of solidarity and admiration for what's happening in Canada from Da Empoli's European vantage point. He criticizes European leaders for their lack of reaction to Trump's attacks and aggressive rhetoric against Europe.
A frequent attendee at international events, Da Empoli observes the world as it undergoes significant change. Though he denies being an official advisor and holding a formal title, he does join recent events, often in the company of French President Emmanuel Macron, acting as a watchful, unseen presence.
In today's world, everyone seems to be groping in the dark, unsure of what lies ahead – a characteristic of this era, according to Da Empoli. The age of accumulating information to understand the world or predict the future appears to be fading away.
The Perils of Artificial Intelligence
Da Empoli's primary apprehension surrounding new technologies, and particularly artificial intelligence, revolves around the absence of regulation, the unsettling opacity surrounding their development. For Da Empoli, AI represents a form of "authoritarian intelligence," transforming our data into a power that could potentially turn against us. In essence, he argues, they want us to replace critical thinking with blind faith.
If AI holds immense potential, its governance, according to Da Empoli, is catastrophic, placing it in the hands of a small, hyper-powerful group that develops it for their own gain. A reader of Suetonius and Machiavelli, he knows that history has much to say about our era. Starting with the fact that politics and morality seldom coexist in harmony. If the new "Borgias," the predators, don't read the Ancients, they certainly recognize themselves in their teachings.
"History offers a means of understanding what is truly new," writes Da Empoli. And our history is evolving at an alarming pace.
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