Echoland: A Comprehensive Guide to a Nonexistent Place

Echoland is a stunning illustrated tour through the World of Tomorrow, a delightful look at what a world transformed by artificial intelligence might look like. In the tradition of speculative utopian fiction, Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson imagines a fully automated socialist society where deprivation, militarism, and inequality have disappeared. Like a modern version of Edward Bellamy’s hugely popular 19th century utopian novel Looking Backward, Echoland explores how human society could radically change for the better—if we make it.

Echoland is not just a discussion of the possible changes that generative artificial intelligence could contribute to, but it is a radical and novel demonstration of AI’s capacities. The book is illustrated with nearly 1000 AI-generated images; to speculate on the world of the future, Robinson has used cutting-edge AI image-making programs to show everything from imaginary train tickets and movie posters to stuffed animals and coffee shops. The result is a spellbinding look at the radical possibilities that these new technologies hold. This beautiful, mesmerizing book makes a major contribution to the discussion about the risks and promises of technology, and the various paths human society could take. Echoland is not “techno-utopian”; instead it offers a stark warning that, uncoupled from humane social values, we are just as likely to destroy ourselves as to bring about a world of abundance for all.

This one-of-a-kind, beautiful book is essential for anyone interested in big questions about the human future.