The Biggest Story in Town
Eight Years Later
Eight years ago, the November US election results profoundly shocked the small staff at Backchannel, the boutique tech publication I headed. The morning after, an editor posted on our Slack that working on a technology story seemed tone-deaf, if not futile. On a plane from New York to San Francisco, I wrote a column to answer that impulse, directed as much to myself and my colleagues as it was to readers.
The Headline: "The iPhone Is Bigger Than Donald Trump"
I argued that regardless of the enormity of this event, one thing hadn’t changed; the biggest story of our time was still the technological revolution we were living through. Disruptive politicians, even destructive ones, may come and go—or refuse to go. But the chip, the network, the mobile device, and all they entailed were changing humanity, and maybe what it will mean to be human. Our job was to chronicle that epic transformation, no matter who was politically in charge.
Revisiting the Thought
This week, Trump was once again elected president despite… oh hell, I won’t go through the litany of what would seem to be slam-dunk disqualifiers. You’ve heard it all, and to the majority of voters it doesn’t matter. It’s an unbelievable story, and the next few years will undoubtedly be the stuff of history. Maybe not in a good way. Maybe in a very bad way for a country where many expected to celebrate its continuing values on America’s 250th birthday.
The Impact of Technology
Yet I’m not budging from the thought I had in 2016. As Stewart Brand once said, “Human nature doesn’t change much; science does, and the change accrues, altering the world irreversibly.” What is happening in technology and science remains the activity that will ultimately make the biggest impact on our species. Hundreds of years later, future generations (and possibly Ray Kurzweil) will look back at this time and identify it as the period when microchips and neural net software changed everything. And who was that strongman with the funny hair who crashed the country that used to occupy real estate in the Western Hemisphere?
Artificial Intelligence is Bigger than Donald Trump
Of course journalists must cover Trump’s second presidency vigorously, with relentless demands for accountability. In the short term—for some of us codgers it may be all of our remaining term!—what happens in our community and country will have a bigger influence on our daily lives than the latest version of Claude, ChatGPT, or even Apple Intelligence. (Sorry, Tim Apple.) If you lose your health care, or your reproductive rights, or find yourself in a deportation camp or a prison cell because of the policies of our returning president, the knowledge that AI, mixed reality, and quantum computers might one day redefine us won’t lessen the pain.
Conclusion
As I look back at my 2016 column, I realize that I’m not just reiterating the same thought; I’m also acknowledging that the world has changed significantly since then. The pace of technological progress has accelerated, and the stakes are higher than ever. The biggest story in town remains the technological revolution, and we must continue to cover it with dedication and passion.
FAQs
Q: What is the author’s main point?
A: The author argues that the biggest story of our time is the technological revolution, and that Artificial Intelligence is a key part of this story.
Q: Why did the author write this article?
A: The author wrote this article to reiterate their original point that the technological revolution is the biggest story in town, and to emphasize the importance of covering AI and other technological advancements.
Q: What is the author’s opinion on the Trump presidency?
A: The author is critical of the Trump presidency, but acknowledges that it will have a significant impact on the country and the world.
Q: What is the author’s message to readers?
A: The author’s message is that the biggest story in town is the technological revolution, and that we must continue to cover it with dedication and passion.
