staircase

Intentional Kessler syndrome?

AI boom is a poor choice of words, even though it's intentional. And I don't believe the article's starting paragraph

For more than three years, AI has propped up global trade and investment and pushed stock markets from the US to Asia to record highs.

However, there is a boom in investment in AI, whether that actually yields anything or not. I read the article as meaning derailing that.

The consequences outlined in the rest of the article look to be agnostic to productivity

You make a good point. I read it as "people who aren't in thrall to the machine can take back control". The vast majority of people have little say in this show.

As @Quazatron says, those that are in thrall don't look particularly human.

To quote:

The real bubble is not stock valuations but the inflated ego of an industry that thinks it is just one more datacentre away from computational divinity.