Tech leaders promise that AI automation will usher in an age of unprecedented abundance: cheap goods, universal high income, and freedom from the drudgery of work. But even if AI delivers material prosperity, will that prosperity be shared? And what happens to human dignity if our labor and contributions become obsolete?
Political philosopher Michael Sandel joins Tristan Harris to explore why the promise of AI-driven abundance could deepen inequalities and leave our society hollow. Drawing from his landmark work on justice and merit, Sandel argues that this isn't just about economics — it's about what it means to be human when our work role in society vanishes, and whether democracy can survive if productivity becomes our only goal.
We've seen this story before with globalization: promises of shared prosperity that instead hollowed out the industrial heart of communities, economic inequalities, and left holes in the social fabric. Can we learn from the past, and steer the AI revolution in a more humane direction?
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on X: @HumaneTech_. You can find a full transcript, key takeaways, and much more on our Substack.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
The Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel
Democracy’s Discontent by Michael Sandel
What Money Can’t Buy by Michael Sandel
Take Michael’s online course “Justice”
Michael’s discussion on AI Ethics at the World Economic Forum
Further reading on “The Intelligence Curse”
Read the full text of Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 speech
Read the full text of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 speech
Neil Postman’s lecture on the seven questions to ask of any new technology
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