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Other·The Trace·Model-prefilled trace·Published 2026-07-20

AI-assisted radiology in hospitals

Source article: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow review – the real price of artificial intelligence

As former Google CEO Eric Schmidt could tell you, AI is a hard sell these days. Last month, he tried talking up the AI revolution during a commencement address at the University of Arizona and was loudly booed by students about to enter an AI-ravaged job market. His discombobulation was telling. Schmidt is not the only AI booster to crash out with students recently as the popular backlash grows. Every week brings a new story about some writer, publisher or academic who has torched their reputation by using an un…

TRV-2026-0335JournalismPermanent record — cite & verify
Trace impact reading

Contested: both sides are scored from claims and sources, not community votes.

P 56The P score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded problem claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.G 56The G score combines the specificity and measured human impact of the grounded gain claim with the strength of this Trace’s cited sources.
The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow review – the real price of artificial intelligence

Publisher image: The Guardian.

The quick read

Published 22 June 2026 as a Guardian book review, the piece summarizes Cory Doctorow's argument that AI's current rollout is driven by tech valuations tied to replacing worker salaries, illustrated by the contrast between a centaur model where a human radiologist works with AI for better accuracy and a reverse centaur model where humans become error-prone checkers.

The distinction matters because it reframes public anger from the technology itself to the revenue model and labor choices shaping it, while uncertainty remains about whether investor-driven hype will sustain deployment given reported pilot failures, consumer aversion, and potential economic shock if seven large tech firms lose value.

Main points
  • Book reviewed is Cory Doctorow's The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, his 36th book following Enshittification.
  • Review cites Eric Schmidt being booed at University of Arizona commencement amid backlash over AI and jobs.
  • Review notes Morgan Stanley predicts AI will add almost a trillion dollars a year to the S&P 500 by replacing salaries.
  • Review cites polls that 90% are less likely to use AI-enabled products and Gen Z favorability at minus 44.
Gain

When deployed as assistive tooling, an AI radiologist paired with a human radiologist can produce more accurate diagnostic analysis.

Problem

When deployed to cut costs, an AI radiologist can demote remaining human radiologists to results-checking drones who are more likely to make mistakes.

The rundown

The review frames the backlash through examples like students booing Eric Schmidt, voters opposing resource-guzzling datacentres, and companies rehiring after chatbot failures, arguing the business model targets investor excitement over user benefit.

Doctorow distinguishes centaur assistance from reverse centaur control, using Amazon warehouse work as an example of diminished freedom, and argues criticism should target investment capital driving the bubble rather than only headline risks like deepfakes.

Sources

Reader signal

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The debate