AI Development Can Be Redirected to Benefit Workers Through Policy Intervention
Source: John Cassidy. "Can A.I. Be Pro-Worker? | The New Yorker." March 2, 2026. www.newyorker.com
The Gist
The article argues that AI doesn't have to eliminate jobs - it can be designed to help workers do their jobs better instead. But this won't happen naturally, so the government needs to use taxes, regulations, and its buying power to push companies toward building AI that assists workers rather than replacing them.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence can be developed and deployed in ways that enhance rather than replace human workers, but this requires deliberate policy interventions to redirect current market incentives
Premises
- Historical precedent shows that technological change can be shaped by policy - factory legislation improved working conditions and labor unions ensured productivity gains benefited workers
- Current AI development is primarily focused on job displacement rather than job enhancement because companies are not investing in pro-worker AI tools
- Successful examples like Schneider Electric's Electrician's Assistant demonstrate that AI can augment worker capabilities rather than replace them
- Government has significant purchasing power in sectors like health and education (25% of GDP) that could be leveraged to demand pro-worker AI development
- Current tax policies favor capital investment over labor, creating incentives for companies to choose automation over human workers
- AI companies are appropriating worker expertise and creative content without compensation, essentially using human knowledge to build systems that replace those same humans
Assumptions
- Government intervention can effectively redirect private sector AI development priorities
- Workers and society would benefit more from AI that augments human capabilities than AI that replaces humans
- Market forces alone will not naturally lead to pro-worker AI development
- The current trajectory of AI development toward job displacement is not inevitable or technologically determined
- Policy tools like taxation, procurement, and regulation can meaningfully influence corporate AI investment decisions