Surviving the Algorithm: Politics, Education, and the Human Cost of AI Illusions

Algorithms shape what we see, how we work, and even how we understand one another. They amplify voices, bury truths, and quietly decide who gets noticed — and who is left behind. While many celebrate AI's efficiency and innovation, the deeper story is the human struggle to survive in systems we do not control. Drawing on decades of experience as a linguist, educator, and observer of political systems, Mike Liu reveals the illusions behind AI's fluency and the dangers of mistaking convenience for consciousness. From classrooms in Taiwan to boardrooms shaped by short-term politics, he shows how survival in the age of AI is not about running faster than machines but about seeing clearly through the illusions they create. This book explores three urgent domains: Education under pressure: Why cramming cultures and outdated teaching models collapse in an AI-driven world. Politics of survival: How factions, media cycles, and short-term power struggles leave nations unprepared for disruption. Human projections onto machines: Why we sense stubbornness, trust illusions, or hear a "neural accent" in AI's voice. Surviving the Algorithm is not a technical manual. It is a survival guide for educators, policymakers, students, and anyone navigating a world where algorithms increasingly define value. It challenges us to reclaim clarity, purpose, and human meaning before the noise of machines drowns them out.