AI will transform capitalism – but how?

In a recent analysis for The Guardian, Paul Mason explores the potential for artificial intelligence to fundamentally reshape the capitalist system. Drawing on historical perspectives from Aristotle to Karl Marx, Mason argues that AI’s ability to automate both manual and intellectual labor challenges the traditional foundations of profit and entrepreneurship. The article contrasts the current US strategy of hoarding computing power and proprietary models with China’s push toward open-source AI, framing both as competing visions for global hegemony. Mason suggests that rather than merely fueling existing power structures, there is an opportunity to design AI models that prioritize human needs, sustainability, and cooperative values. He concludes that while AI may not automatically lead to a classless society, it creates a critical juncture where society must decide whether to allow AI to reinforce current inequalities or to steer its development toward a more equitable, social-democratic future.