As AI companies become some of the most valuable in the world, what claims should workers, investors, and the public have on the wealth they create?
Some of the companies building AI are now among the most valuable in the world, and the wealth they create raises a question people answer in very different ways: who has a claim to it? Some say it belongs mainly to the investors and founders who took the risk and built the companies. Some say workers whose jobs AI is changing should share in it. Others point to the public research, data, and infrastructure behind AI and argue that everyone should have a stake.
In this Circle, we'll explore what workers, investors, and the public each bring to the wealth AI creates, what each might fairly claim, and how different answers could affect people and communities. A shared reading and a guide to the main approaches and their trade-offs will help us compare responses: who benefits, who bears the costs, and what each approach might gain or give up.
The shared reading
We're sharing the reading a month ahead so you have time to take it in. Before we meet, please read three chapters of The Intelligence Curse, an essay by Luke Drago and Rudolf Laine (April 2025). Allow about 35–40 minutes for all three.
Introduction (printed pages 1–3)
Capital, AGI, and Human Ambition (printed pages 14–20)
Defining the Intelligence Curse (printed pages 21–29)
The authors argue that countries whose wealth comes from natural resources like oil, rather than from their people's work, tend to invest less in their people, and that AI could create the same pull for the companies and governments that come to rely on it. "AGI" is their term for AI that outperforms people at most paid work. It's one argument about where AI could lead. We'll consider it alongside other perspectives, with room to question its assumptions and conclusions.
If you'd like to keep going, we highly recommend the rest of the essay, especially "Pyramid Replacement," on how AI could reshape companies, starting with entry-level jobs and moving up. The full essay is free to read online or as a PDF.
Who it's for
No technical or financial background, and no settled view, is needed. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and a willingness to listen.