Subvolts take Tech's AI obsession clashes with public unease. Understand the disconnect. Apr 23, 2026 - Developers
- Understand how AI's "software brain" approach might alienate users, informing your product development.
- Business
- Grasp the public perception of AI to better position your company's AI strategy and communications.
- Everyday users
- Learn why you might feel uneasy about AI, even as the tech industry celebrates it.
This episode provides a thoughtful analysis of public sentiment towards AI, contrasting it with industry enthusiasm.
THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION
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From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
On Decoder, host Nilay Patel explores the concept of "software brain," a mindset that views the world through algorithms and loops. He argues that AI has supercharged this thinking, creating a disconnect between the tech industry's excitement and public skepticism towards AI. The episode examines why people may be growing to dislike AI more over time.
Imagine thinking everything can be solved with computer code. AI makes this "software brain" thinking very powerful, but it might be why regular people dislike AI more than tech companies do. This episode explains that gap.
This episode offers insight into the growing public apprehension surrounding AI, contrasting it with the tech industry's enthusiasm. It's for anyone trying to understand the societal impact of AI beyond the hype. Patel connects this sentiment to how frontier labs' rapid AI development might be outpacing public acceptance and creating a perception gap.
- HostNilay Patel
- Episode Title: THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION
- Show: Decoder with Nilay Patel
- Length: 19 minutes
- Core Concept: Software brain
Today on Decoder, I want to lay out an idea that's been banging around my head for weeks now as we've been reporting on AI and having conversations here on this show. I've been calling it software brain, and it's a particular way of seeing the world that fits everything into algorithms, databases and loops.
Software brain is powerful stuff. It's a way of thinking that basically created our modern world. But software thinking has also been turbocharged by AI in a way that I think helps explain the enormous gap between how excited the tech industry is about the technology and how regular people are growing to dislike it more and more over time.
Links:
- Why software Is eating the world | Marc Andreessen
- Gen Z’s love-hate relationship with AI | The Verge
- The attacks on Sam Altman are a warning for the AI world | The Verge
- Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want | The Verge
- I saw something new in San Francisco | The New York Times
- Anthropic CEO issues dire warning about white-collar work | The Street
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Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
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- software brain
- Nilay Patel
- A way of thinking that views everything in terms of computer code, algorithms, and automated processes.
- algorithms
- Nilay Patel
- Sets of rules or instructions that computers follow to solve problems or perform tasks.
- databases
- Nilay Patel
- Organized collections of data that computers can access and manage.
- loops
- Nilay Patel
- A sequence of instructions that is repeated until a certain condition is met.
54 min
Questions people ask
- What is "software brain"?
- Software brain is a way of thinking that fits everything into algorithms, databases, and loops. It's a mindset that helped create the modern world.
- Why is there a gap between tech excitement and public dislike of AI?
- AI has turbocharged software thinking, potentially explaining the enormous gap between how excited the tech industry is and how regular people are growing to dislike it.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to The Verge.