Artificial intelligence represents a third existential threat alongside climate change and geopolitical instability, necessitating a shift toward pro-worker technological development. MIT economists Daron Acemoglu and David Autor argue that while AI could automate routine cognitive tasks like call center operations, it also possesses the potential to augment human expertise if steered away from the current "artificial general intelligence" obsession. The rapid "enclosure" of the internet—where powerful corporations extract and monetize human-generated data without providing royalties—threatens to exacerbate a two-tiered society. Mitigating these risks requires specific policy interventions, including wage insurance to support job transitions, rebalancing tax incentives that currently favor capital over labor, and establishing "universal basic capital" to give citizens ownership stakes in the digital economy. Ultimately, the trajectory of AI is a choice that must be governed by democratic oversight rather than the ideological agendas of tech billionaires.
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