A recent article in The Conversation asks: If AI takes most of our jobs, money as we know it will be over. What then?
This is a critical question—and one I explored in Chapter 8 of AIcracy: Beyond Democracy. There, I outline the emergence of a new abundance economy, where AI transforms scarcity into opportunity, and governance must adapt.
The Debate on Abundance
Across the web, thinkers are proposing bold futures:
- Sam Altman (OpenAI): Advocates AI wealth redistribution and sovereign wealth funds.
- Universal Basic Income (UBI): Widely debated as a foundation for post-AI economies.
- Fully Automated Luxury Communism: An ideological vision of post-work abundance.
- Cognitarism: The theory of AI as the central economic producer.
- The Abundance Movement: Calls for policy built on abundance, not austerity.
- Infinity Economy: Post-scarcity production models, an economy where scarcity no longer limits value creation (preprint research).
What these share is the recognition that AI will force us to redefine jobs, money, and prosperity.
The AIcracy Model of Abundance
In AIcracy, I extend this debate with a governance framework:
- Optimized Resource Allocation → AI forecasts shortages and equitably redistributes essentials.
- Equitable Policies → Universal Basic Income and Universal Resource Inheritance reduce inequality.
- Mentorship for Growth → Every citizen has a personal mentor (AI or human) to thrive in a post-work society.
- Fair Taxation → AI automation and wealth taxed to reinvest in public goods.
- Universal Support Systems → Healthcare, education, and childcare accessible to all.
From Survival to Thrival
The promise of the AIcracy Abundance Economy is not simply more wealth—but a system where fairness, inclusion, and sustainability are hard-coded into governance.
Instead of clinging to scarcity, we can design AI governance that empowers citizens to flourish in abundance.
Because democracy was the best system we had. But with AI, it’s time to build something new: a society of thrival.
Still, the path forward is not fully clear. How do we make sure abundance doesn’t create new inequalities, but truly lifts everyone?
👉 I believe this is one of the central debates of our time—and it’s far from solved. What do you think?
