Sam Altman, chief executive officer and co-founder of OpenAI Inc., speaks to members of the media on the Senate Subway while heading to a meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Nobody Asked for AI

We tend to think that markets reflect consumer choice. But the artificial-intelligence boom has been powered by the investment decisions of concentrated capital rather than by consumer demand.

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Jacobin is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.

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Workers install solar panels for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's biggest solar and battery storage plant, the Eland Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert of Kern County on Monday, November 25, 2024, near California City, California.

The Class Divide Haunting Climate Politics

New research confirms that policy messages on climate favored by college-educated liberals often fall flat with working-class Americans. The good news? Workers are favorable to pro-climate policies that speak directly to their everyday material concerns.

Mainstream economics cannot accept the concept of contradiction that is foundational for Karl Marx’s analysis of capitalism. David Harvey explains why we need the Marxist perspective if we want to make sense of capital’s latest mutations in the age of AI.

Congressional candidate Bob Brooks speaks during a campaign event ahead of a primary election in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on May 17, 2026.

The Blue Collar Brigade Has the Right Messengers

A slate of union-backed working-class Democratic candidates is running on an economic-populist platform in swing districts. If the Blue Collar Brigade proves successful, their strategy could set a precedent for winning working-class votes.

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Jacobin is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.

$29.95
1 Year / 4 Issues
Digital Subscription
$39.95
1 Year / 4 Issues
Print + Digital Subscription