The AI Paradox: Progress or Collapse?

We are living through a new technological revolution. And throughout history, the people who benefit are those who hold the assets — the means of distribution. These have been taken away from the working man, and now the threat has shifted from labour to knowledge and thought. Some of you might even question whether this was written by me or by AI.

There are many possible outcomes the future could bring — utopia, annihilation, the end of government social programmes, or even the collapse of capitalism as we know it. The timeframe is debated, but one thing isn’t: it will happen. There’s no denying that.

AI is a tool, and it is learning and evolving rapidly. But there is one fatal flaw many are not considering.

When the Industrial Revolution happened and factory workers were replaced with machines, only around 10–30% found new jobs. So when you hear tech or AI advocates say that jobs will be lost but new ones created — they’re not lying. But the number of new jobs, compared to the percentage of lost ones, is negative.

Another issue with AI is that most people see it as scary — a threat. Understandably so. But there’s an AI-automation paradox: if everyone loses their job to AI, then no one can afford to purchase goods or services. When that happens, the companies using AI for profit will find themselves without customers. And when goods and services stop being purchased, income tax dries up, governments falter, and public services collapse.

When that happens, we will need a new system. If AI takes all the jobs and the political system no longer stands for the people, only those who build new systems — or exit the old one — will survive.

AI is taking over. The sad thing is, it's a slow burn — and it’s already begun. Businesses and governments might put systems in place to slow it down, but they can’t stop it. We have moved from capitalism to late-stage capitalism — or perhaps digital feudalism. I just hope the next phase is something closer to Enoughism, mixed with soulpunk and shared prosperity.

What are your thoughts on this future technology. I see it will benefit the few, and the ones that use and learn it quickly. Even though that high will be short, people will benefit. My worry, is what will happen to the mean, not the few.