Enfeeblement
As AI systems encroach on human-level intelligence, more and more aspects of human labor will become faster and cheaper to accomplish with AI. As the world accelerates, organizations may voluntarily cede control to AI systems in order to keep up. This may cause humans to become economically irrelevant, and once AI automates aspects of many industries, it may be hard for displaced humans to reenter them
ENTITY
1 - Human
INTENT
1 - Intentional
TIMING
2 - Post-deployment
Risk ID
mit570
Domain lineage
5. Human-Computer Interaction
5.2 > Loss of human agency and autonomy
Mitigation strategy
1. **Policy and Investment in Human-AI Complementarity** Implement comprehensive, large-scale, and inclusive reskilling and upskilling programs focusing on skills that leverage human-AI synergy, such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and complex domain expertise, rather than easily automatable tasks. Concurrently, revise corporate taxation policies, such as eliminating the asymmetrical tax treatment that favors investment in physical capital (machines/AI) over human capital (training/education), to strategically incentivize companies to invest in retaining and augmenting their existing workforce. 2. **AI Design Frameworks to Preserve Human Agency** Establish and enforce "Human-Centric AI Design Principles" that prioritize the maintenance of human autonomy and collaboration over the sole pursuit of maximum efficiency. These frameworks must require radical transparency in algorithmic operations, strategically insert human decision-making at critical workflow junctures, and protect the "right to human judgment" in essential services to counteract agency decay and the passive erosion of cognitive skills. 3. **Investigation and Implementation of Equitable Wealth Distribution Models** Commission detailed, multidisciplinary research to assess and trial alternative socio-economic models, including the restructuring of taxation, the implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI) schemes, or the taxing of AI-generated productivity, to ensure the wealth created by widespread AI adoption is distributed equitably across the population. This is essential to mitigate the risk of mass economic irrelevance and compounding inequality resulting from diminished labor share of production.