88. Artificial Intelligence, Corporate Power, and Cognitive Surrender, with JP Prince

What if the real cyberpunk dystopia isn't waiting for us in the future—but is already taking shape today?In this episode of the Alternate Futures Podcast, I sit down with debut science fiction author and AI startup executive JP Prince for one of the most thought-provoking conversations I've had about artificial intelligence, corporate power, and the future we're rapidly creating. Drawing on years of experience in venture-backed startups and the AI industry, JP explores why the biggest risks of AI aren't the algorithms themselves, but the incentives, hype, and systems that shape how they're built and deployed. We discuss AI hallucinations, venture capital, cognitive surrender, corporate influence, and why today's technology landscape increasingly resembles the cyberpunk worlds science fiction has warned us about for decades.All of this forms the backdrop for JP's upcoming debut novel (available only in audiobook at the time this was released) The Mess, a near-future cyberpunk thriller exploring corporate dominance, political power, and the consequences of unchecked capitalism.We also discuss why writing is about the journey rather than the output, whether AI belongs in the creative process, recording audiobooks, experimenting through independent publishing, and how organisations can evolve into powerful systems that shape the people inside them.As usual, there are the Big Questions.Books of his we discuss: The Messhttps://www.jpprince.com/alternatefutures.substack.comalternatefutures.co.uk