When human agency is degraded, human potential is diminished. So are democratic prospects. Fixing the problem is difficult. Throwing out the bathwater of the AI-enabled attention economy threatens the baby of free speech, increased connectivity, the growth of knowledge, economic opportunities, and digital enablement. But the challenge is even more fraught. Political solutions are thwarted, in part, because the AI-enabled attention economy has heightened ideological rigidity, political polarization, and widespread misinformation. The upshot is the eclipse of common truths, the decay of civic trust, and growing dogmatism.