The global warming crisis
Bridle uses the global warming crisis as an example of how technological advances, without sophisticated forethought, can cause devastation which threatens our very ability to survive on the earth. This idea is replicated in many of his other arguments, making this a kind of historical evidence for his point of view. The crisis means far more to him than just the temperature of the earth. He sees the issue as taking evidence against human foresight.
AI
Artificial Intelligence is a term that gets used a lot in this book, and the idea is simply that computers might one day be able to compute rationally on their own electrical, computational instincts. The issue is of dire importance, of course, because that means that in the future, robots might have a kind of volition. He explains the gravity of a misstep at a time like this.
The hypothetical Dark Age
There is a hypothetical offered in the book about a future Dark Age. The question is a symbolic one that makes the reader reconsider their own relationship to survival. What would it mean if suddenly, technology as it is today was no longer an option in every day life. Would human currency survive? So much of the economy is online now, and do people have survival skills, or have humans been resorting on technological advantages so much they might now be able to adapt.
The motif of catastrophe
Technology is beautiful and in many cases, awe-inspiring. But when it comes to a planet full of unstable governments, surveillance, security, military competence, and other issues start to become pressing. He mentions a long list of ways that technology shapes human government, isolating specific risks that still loom large, like the possibility of nuclear holocaust.
The allusion to end times
The book asks the reader to consider the ultimate value of things. Technology is important, because small steps forward can have unseen consequences that are potentially unsolvable. This apocalyptic approach asks the reader to use a mode of analysis typically not necessary in everyday daily life. The question is, "Could you survive without technology?" The idea is clearly invoking apocalypse.
