Blindsight

by Peter Watts

"Oh, come on. Society was always pretty— wait, you're saying the world's corporate elite are nonsentient?" "God, no. Not nearly. Maybe they're just starting down that road. Like chimpanzees." "Yeah, but sociopaths don't blend in well." "Maybe the ones that get diagnosed don't, but by definition they're the bottom of the class. The others are too smart to get caught, and real automatons would do even better. Besides, when you get powerful enough, you don't need to act like other people. Other people start acting like you."