Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and the Misreading of Science Fiction

Jill Lepore· Aug 11, 2026 · 10:30 AM UTC ·12 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 3 views

#elon #musk #altman #misreading #science

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Jill LeporeThe Big StoryAug 11, 2026 6:30 AMElon Musk, Sam Altman, and the Misreading of Science FictionBeyond Elon Musk’s interpretation of The Odyssey, Silicon Valley leaders have often misunderstood classic books like Foundation and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s evident in their tech.Photo-Illustration: Jobanny Cabrera; Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyWhy does anyone care what Elon Musk thinks of Homer’s Odyssey, or Christopher Nolan’s? Musk is promising to use AI to generate a “historically accurate” version of the The Odyssey—turning epic poetry into atrocious slop—even as AI companies are literally destroying books to ingest them as data more cheaply.

Key facts

▪Jill LeporeThe Big StoryAug 11, 2026 6:30 AMElon Musk, Sam Altman, and the Misreading of Science FictionBeyond Elon Musk’s interpretation of The Odyssey, Silicon Valley leaders have often misunderstood classic books like Foundation and The
▪It’s evident in their tech.Photo-Illustration: Jobanny Cabrera; Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyWhy does anyone care what Elon Musk thinks of Homer’s Odyssey, or Christopher Nolan’s?
▪Musk is promising to use AI to generate a “historically accurate” version of the The Odyssey—turning epic poetry into atrocious slop—even as AI companies are literally destroying books to ingest them as data more cheaply.

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Original publisher	WIRED
Canonical URL	https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-rise-and-fall-of-the-artificial-state-jill-lepore-silicon-valley-sci-fi/
Publication time	Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:30:00 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-08-11T10:40:46.242Z
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