“In The Technocratic Dark State, Iain Davis has managed to fit the colossal private ship of modern criminal imperialism, fully assembled and illuminated for inspection, within a single glass bottle.” ~ John Titus
Recorded and published December, 2025
In early November, Solari published my review of Iain Davis’s book, The Technocratic Dark State: Trump, AI, and Digital Dictatorship—a book I consider an absolute must-read.
Davis is an independent investigative UK journalist and author who publishes at his own website as well as at other New Media outlets such as Unlimited Hangout. The Technocratic Dark State is his fourth book. As I wrote in my review, The Technocratic Dark State “provided so many penny-drop moments that I lost count of them.” For that reason, I was eager to do an interview with him to dive into some of his most critical insights.
Our discussion starts with how money creation relates to the “tech bros,” with Davis’s compelling argument being that the partnership between old-line money creators and Big Tech facilitates two important goals: the continuation of U.S. dollar hegemony and central control of the population. We also explore the concept of “interoperability,” a term I once wrongly dismissed as an empty buzzword.
From there, we take a look at the so-called Dark Enlightenment, consider the tech bros’ use of deception, and discuss features of the digital gulag, including digital IDs, as well as Davis’s ideas about how to resist.
On the topic of resistance, Davis fittingly ends his book with a useful reminder from 16th-century French philosopher and magistrate Étienne de La Boétie:
“Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces.”
Links
Iain Davis: The Disillusioned Blogger (website)
Iain Davis (Unlimited Hangout)
Related at Solari
Book Review: The Technocratic Dark State: Trump, AI, and Digital Dictatorship by Iain Davis
