Yanis Varoufkas has published a reflective essay that uses Christopher Nolan's recent film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey to examine the ongoing clash between techno-optimists and technophobes in Europe. He argues that the ancient story of Achilles, Odysseus and Ajax offers a lens through which to view modern debates over artificial intelligence, market power and democratic control.
Ancient myths meet modern technology
The essay begins by recalling the famous strike of Achilles, who withdrew from battle after his commander Agamemnon seized his prize, the Trojan woman Briseis. The conflict is resolved only when divine blacksmith Hephaestus forges a set of armour that becomes the centre of a later dispute between the cunning strategist Odysseus and the brute-force hero Ajax. Varoufakis highlights how the two rivals represent opposing values: raw strength versus clever efficiency.
"Who served the Greeks best?"
According to the essay, Odysseus's question encapsulates the modern argument that efficiency, embodied by sophisticated algorithms, should outweigh pure notions of justice. The author suggests that today's AI giants act as the new Agamemnon, issuing edicts from data centres while ordinary citizens wait for a hearing that never arrives.
Why the ancient story matters now
Varoufakis points out three insights. First, the value of objects such as Achilles's armour is no longer judged by craftsmanship but by market price, a shift he likens to the commodification of personal data. Second, the tension between Ajax's appeal to fairness and Odysseus's appeal to efficiency mirrors current policy fights over wealth taxes and the role of the ultra-rich in the European economy. Third, the mythic loot, the woman Briseis, reminds readers that the exploitation of people as property continues in new forms, from the manosphere to the monetisation of water and electricity.
What comes next for Europe's AI debate
The essay concludes that the contest over AI is already rigged, with a handful of firms deciding how algorithms allocate attention and choice. Varoufakis calls for collective restraint, likening it to Odysseus's self-binding to resist the Sirens. He argues that only public regulation, not individual willpower, can curb the seductive pull of endless feeds and protect democratic control of digital infrastructure.
By framing the AI controversy in the language of ancient myth, Varoufakis hopes to make clear that the stakes are not merely technical but moral, and that Europe must decide whether efficiency will trump justice in the digital age.