A Conversation about the AI Workweek - Policy for a Post-Automation Economy

This conversation examines how corporate short-termism and executive incentives lead to premature layoffs justified by artificial intelligence, even when the technology cannot yet fully replace human labor. This trend risks creating an economic crisis by eroding consumer demand, as fewer employed workers remain to purchase the goods and services companies produce. To counter this, the they propose a graduated reduction of the standard workweek to distribute available work more broadly and stabilize the labor market. This policy intervention is framed as essential economic infrastructure rather than a luxury, drawing on historical evidence that shorter hours can coexist with high productivity. The framework includes recommendations for income maintenance, tax incentives, and international coordination to ensure that automation leads to shared prosperity. Ultimately, they argue that society must proactively restructure working time to prevent concentrated wealth and widespread social instability.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.