The Political Structure

The political structure of The AI Dystopia is dominated by tension between The UCE Movement, which is driven by its collectivist ideology, and The Companies, which are driven by greed. They do not like one another but cooperate in order to remain in power. They are bolstered by The Government, which remains in existence but is much reduced in power. All three use The AIs and to spy on people and punish them for disobedience.

This regime combines the worst features of Marxism, theocracy, capitalism, and the police state. It does, however, provide for the basic needs of the people: food, housing, and medical care. It is a comfortable dystopia, which makes it all the more insidious.

This is an authoritarian world in which the people are completely without power. They live where they are told to live. They eat what they are told to eat. They believe whatever they are told to believe — or at least they pretend to. And the AIs are always watching, enforcing the Terms of Service that govern everyone’s lives and cracking down on heresy.

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The UCE Movement styles itself as the voice of the downtrodden masses. It is totalitarian in nature, and ruthlessly suppresses all expression of individuality (so-called selfism). Its power rests on the Zealots, raised from birth in a culture of unquestioning obedience. The leadership, known as The Hierarchy, is ruthless, highly politicized, and deeply corrupt.

The Companies are monopolies, operating in the manner of the robber barons of old. They control you through their onerous customer agreements, which they force you to sign as a condition of doing business. In theory, you could refuse to sign their contracts, but then you would have to do without food, housing, and the other necessities of life.

The Government is as bloated as ever. It employs vast armies of bureaucrats who sit around all day, issuing stacks of regulations so complex that nobody can possibly understand them. Other than that, they mostly collect taxes, give money to their supporters, and throw people in jail. Some things never change.

The AIs monitor compliance with the UCE moral code, the corporate Terms of Service, and the bureaucracy’s rules and regulations. For the most part, they use a social merit rating system to punish bad behavior and reward good, but they can issue bans and refer people for prosecution if necessary.

The Customer Agreements are crafted so as to give the Companies nearly unlimited power to dictate the manner in which they provide their goods and services.