Shoshana Zuboff, philosopher: 'AI is surveillance capitalism continuing to evolve and expand'

https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-12-15/shoshana-zuboff-philosopher-ai-is-surveillance-capitalism-continuing-to-evolve-and-expand.html

Shoshana Zuboff, philosopher: ‘AI is surveillance capitalism continuing to evolve and expand’

The author of ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ applauds the EU’s initiatives to curb big tech and calls on the bloc not to bow to pressure from Trump

PAOLA NAGOVITCH
DEC 15, 2025 - 14:36 EST

Shoshana Zuboff (New England, U.S., 1951) joins the video call from her home in Maine, in the northeastern United States, on the border with Canada, where the cold is relentless at this time of year. She sips tea to warm her throat and apologizes for being late; her schedule is so packed these days that it was impossible to find an opportunity to do this interview in person. It is difficult to speak with Zuboff, the leading thinker on surveillance capitalism, via Google Meet and not feel anxious about contributing to the very evil she has been talking about for years.

“There are very few things left in this world that we can do without contributing to it. That’s what makes it intolerable,” says the philosopher and professor emeritus at Harvard Business School. Next January will mark seven years since she published her book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, in which she uncovered a phenomenon that has since expanded almost unchecked: the collection and commodification of personal data by technology companies.

Technology and capitalism are two ideas that have been constantly present in Zuboff’s work. But she is particularly concerned about the current state of our society, with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and leaders such as Donald Trump embracing the tech oligarchs. So much so that her next book, which she hopes to publish in 2026, will be an update of her 2019 work, but focused on artificial intelligence.

Question. What do you think about AI? How do you view this technological development?

Answer. AI is simply surveillance capitalism continuing to evolve and expand with some new methodologies, but still based on theft. We rushed to the internet, thinking of the democratization of knowledge and communication. But what we ran to with open arms has actually become a surveillance prison with no bars or guards, but also no exit, no escape. And unless and until our democratic governments pull themselves together, and we come together in new forms of collective action to put that pressure on our public leaders, this will not change.

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