As debate rages over whether artificial intelligence could render human labor obsolete, the larger unresolved issue is how society will distribute the resulting wealth—and who will make those choices. Economist Eduardo Porter argues that even if AI vastly expands output, the political challenge of apportioning gains will intensify as labor income shrinks. Scholars Anton Korinek and Lee Lockwood foresee a transition from wage-based taxation toward consumption and, ultimately, capital taxes, alongside levies on fixed factors and monopoly rents. Proposals range from steering innovation toward labor-augmenting tools to granting the public direct equity stakes in AI firms. Yet entrenched resistance to taxation and regulation—exemplified by Washington’s retreat from the OECD global tax deal and Big Tech’s political clout—threatens redistribution efforts. With regulators struggling to curb concentration and some tech leaders exploring “network-state” workarounds, the risk is that a small cadre of AI owners will set priorities for resource allocation. United Nations officials warn that governance cannot be left to a handful of billionaires, but without early policy action, the balance of power may shift decisively toward capital in a post-work economy.
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