James Bridle's 'New Dark Age' Warns of Technology's Hidden Dangers

James Bridle's book 'Nuova era oscura' (New Dark Age), published by Nero Editions in 2019, is a critical examination of how technology shapes and controls human life. The artist and designer argues that digital systems have shifted from facilitating understanding to operating as opaque, privately governed economies that widen inequality and foster nationalism. Bridle calls for a reform of education to include both basic computing and complex systems engineering, with a focus on ethics. He highlights how AI creates 'unknowability' through fake images, faces, and events, and addresses environmental degradation as interconnected with governance failures. The book serves as a toolbox for navigating and critiquing these systems, from fake news to algorithmic YouTube content. Hans Ulrich Obrist calls it a fundamental, urgent alarm. Bridle concludes that we are not powerless and must continuously rethink our relationship with technology.