Dubioza Kolektiv’s new song 'Yebiga' questions AICEFR B2
26 Apr 2026
Adapted from Global Voices Central & Eastern Europe, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Keagan Henman, Unsplash
Dubioza Kolektiv's new song "Yebiga" offers a satirical but pointed critique of modern reliance on artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making. The group warns that growing deference to machines can create a technocracy, where technological elites replace democratic control. The song’s simple, repetitive phrasing is deliberate: it mirrors the unthinking mindset the band criticises and highlights the danger of surrendering judgment to automated systems.
The video, in Bosnian with English and Spanish subtitles, opens with a digital brotherhood that presents Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Jeff Bezos as symbols of rising technocracy. In the chorus the lyrics celebrate a world without books or independent thinking—lines include "AI, we don't care / go and throw the books away" and the refrain "AI is the boss now; there's no going back...what the hell!" Another verse contrasts manual labour with automated thinking, using the Bosnian line "Čovjek fizikaneri, nek' razmišlja mašina," meaning "Humans do the labor, we will let machines think."
The video, directed by Vedran Mujagić, uses playful yet unsettling imagery to show conformity and passive acceptance. It features the comic character Đipalo Junuz, played by Zenit Đozić, and a fictional device called HEPEK, a log with electronic circuits. HEPEK first appeared in the sketch show Top Lista Nadrealista (TLN), produced by TV Sarajevo between 1984 and 1991, and became part of the New Primitivism subculture. An upgraded HEPEK in the new video is used to solve AI dilemmas, and the song ends with the signature HEPEK sound. The YouTube release received over one and a half million views in a month, drawing attention to the social risks of outsourcing critical thinking to opaque technological systems.
Difficult words
- satirical — using humour or irony to criticize something
- technocracy — rule or control by technical experts or elites
- algorithmic — related to algorithms or automated computer decision rules
- deference — willingness to accept another's judgement or authority
- surrender — to give up control or stop resisting somethingsurrendering
- conformity — behavior that follows group norms or expectations
- opaque — not clear or easy to understand
- outsource — to give tasks or work to others or outside groupsoutsourcing
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What social risks does the article say could come from relying on AI for decision-making? Give examples from the text.
- How effective do you think satire and playful imagery (for example HEPEK) are in raising awareness about technology and conformity? Explain with reasons.
- The video presents tech leaders as symbols of technocracy. Do you think this representation is fair or effective? Why or why not?
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