

The Abundance Trap: Who Owns Our Future When Robots Do All the Work?
Jun 1, 2025
In conversation with Keith Teare, publisher of That Was The Week, a tech newsletter, the discussion revolves around the coming age of abundance driven by AI and automation. Teare argues that these advances will cut production costs, allowing people to shift from jobs to hobbies. However, he faces challenges over who will control AI-generated wealth and the potential for massive corporate tax rates for redistribution. The debate touches on whether this technological shift will liberate society or concentrate power in the hands of a few.
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Defining Abundance with AI
- Abundance is defined as meeting human needs cheaply or for free through automation and AI.
- This could lead to an era where humans are freed from producing necessities for survival.
Economics of Abundance
- Economic growth depends on gross domestic product output and its production cost.
- Reducing production costs to near zero and increasing output infinitely signals an age of abundance.
Work vs. Hobby Debate
- Most people work just to afford things they enjoy in life, not for job satisfaction itself.
- Removing the necessity of work could free people to pursue passions or hobbies more.