AI and Capitalism

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the global economy has opened a deep and necessary debate about the future of capitalism. Since the Industrial Revolution, the capitalist model has been driven by increased productivity and efficiency, factors that have historically generated wealth for a few and jobs for many. However, the current scenario poses a disturbing paradox: the very tool that promises to take efficiency to unprecedented heights could be sowing the seeds of an economic and social collapse of unknown dimensions.

In recent decades, we have witnessed how robotization and automation have progressively reduced the need for human labor in key production sectors. Large corporations have embraced these technologies in search of greater profit margins, eliminating millions of jobs in the process. The official narrative usually highlights advances in productivity and the creation of new job opportunities, but reality shows a growth in economic inequality, extreme concentration of wealth, and an increasingly weakened middle class.

Artificial intelligence represents a qualitative leap from previous technological revolutions. Unlike mechanization or industrial robotization, AI threatens to replace not only manual jobs, but also skilled, administrative, creative, and even management positions. The advancement of generative AI, optimization algorithms, and predictive analysis systems allow tasks previously reserved for human intellect to be executed by machines at a speed and with an efficiency unattainable by people.

This phenomenon is causing exponential growth of wealth in the hands of an increasingly small elite. The profits that were once distributed more widely in the form of wages are now concentrated in the hands of capital owners, large tech companies, and investment funds that control the digital infrastructures of the new century. The accumulation of capital in so few hands generates a structural imbalance that threatens the stability of the economic system itself.

The paradox of capitalism and AI lies precisely here: for capitalism to work, it needs consumers. The engine of economic growth has always been the consumption of the middle and working classes, which represent the largest part of global demand. If people lose their jobs or see their purchasing power reduced as a result of massive automation, global consumption will inevitably fall. Less consumption means fewer sales, less tax revenue, and less productive investment, creating a vicious circle that can lead to widespread economic contraction.

The demand crisis derived from this dynamic is not a distant hypothesis. Economists and analysts have been warning for years that extreme inequality is not only an ethical or social problem, but also a systemic risk. A world where only a minority can consume while the majority lacks basic resources is not sustainable in the long term. AI could accelerate this process dramatically if structural measures are not taken to redistribute wealth and guarantee minimum income for the population.

The possible consequences of ignoring this reality are alarming. History shows that deep crises of inequality and social exclusion usually lead to social conflicts, outbreaks of violence, and, in the worst cases, wars. The frustration of broad segments of the population, combined with lack of opportunities and loss of confidence in institutions, can lead to scenarios of instability that affect even the beneficiaries of the current system.

The dilemma, therefore, is clear: either capitalism evolves towards a more inclusive model, where AI is used to improve the quality of life of society as a whole, or we run the risk of witnessing its self-destruction. This paradigm shift could include everything from the implementation of universal basic incomes to much more progressive taxation that adequately taxes large fortunes and technology companies that most benefit from automation.

Artificial intelligence, as a tool, is neither good nor bad in itself. Its impact will depend on the political, economic, and social decisions made in the coming years. The great challenge of the 21st century will be to prevent AI from becoming the catalyst for economic and social collapse, and to ensure that it is, instead, a lever for building a more just, balanced, and sustainable system. If there is no change of course, the risk is that we are witnessing, in real time, the beginning of the end of capitalism as we have known it until now.