If AI gains go to workers
The upside case for the belonging economy. If — and it's a big if — the productivity gains from AI are passed to workers rather than captured as corporate profit, free time roughly doubles. That time doesn't disappear; it gets spent somewhere. Fitness, wellness, community, movement — the industries that offer embodied presence — would inherit the largest wave of free time in modern history.
Important caveat. Current evidence points the other way. A 2025 CEPR study found workers in AI-exposed jobs are working 2.2 hours more per week, not less. An HBR study found AI intensifies work rather than reducing it. This visual shows what's possible if policy and labour markets shift — not what's happening by default.