Modern AI panic reflects "cognitive mercantilism", a zero-sum worldview where intelligence is hoarded as a scarce supply-side commodity managed by elites

The concept of AI as a scarce resource is challenged by historical parallels to capitalism, suggesting a future where many can consume intelligence without being its primary producer.

The article posits that the current panic surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a manifestation of "cognitive mercantilism," a worldview that treats intelligence as a scarce, hoardable commodity managed by elites. This perspective mirrors historical mercantilism, which viewed wealth as finite and controlled by a select few. In this AI-centric version, intelligence is seen as a fixed resource embodied in brains and knowledge products, with national and corporate strategies focused on acquiring top talent and intellectual property. This viewpoint assumes that less intelligent individuals cannot be trusted with autonomy and must be governed by cognitive elites, and that the primary economic concern is the supply of intelligence, not its demand or widespread accessibility. The author draws a parallel to capitalism's emergence, which shifted from a zero-sum view to one where wealth could be created and ordinary people could drive demand. Analogously, AI could enable widespread consumption of intelligence, rather than requiring everyone to be a producer, thus challenging the scarcity-based mindset.

The "cognitive mercantilism" framing suggests that the current AI discourse, particularly concerns about AI safety and control, often stems from an elite desire to hoard intelligence as a scarce resource. This perspective overlooks the potential for AI to democratize access to intelligence, similar to how capitalism eventually fostered mass consumption beyond basic necessities. The fear of misuse by the general population echoes historical anxieties about empowering the masses, which ultimately proved unfounded as capitalism created new avenues for demand and participation.

This re-framing highlights a potential shift from AI as a controlled commodity to a widely accessible tool, akin to the "industrious revolution" where increased desire for consumer goods drove productivity. If AI follows this path, the focus will move from controlling AI supply and talent to understanding and fostering AI demand and its integration into daily life. This could lead to a re-evaluation of labor, where intellectual contribution is no longer solely defined by specialized production but by consumption and creative application, potentially unlocking new forms of economic and personal freedom.