Economist Justin Wolfers has warned that artificial intelligence could lead to extreme wealth inequality, potentially leaving workers competing for wages only slightly above subsistence while AI developers and companies become vastly wealthy.
In a recent episode of his podcast, "The Professor Is In," Wolfers argued that companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) created "a few lines of code" while society provided the "world’s knowledge" used to train their models. He suggested that society is owed compensation for this contribution, framing the need for universal basic income as a payment society is owed rather than a form of redistribution.
Wolfers stated that "we live lives of grinding misery while OpenAI gets infinitely rich as the only productive force in the economy." He characterized the current dynamic as a scenario where workers are left with "two pennies an hour" above survival levels.
The warning aligns with concerns from other industry leaders. Palantir CEO Alex Karp warned in July that AI could become America’s "biggest driver of wealth inequality," suggesting industry leaders could become "10 to 100 times wealthier" than ordinary workers.
Recent data cited by The Kobeissi Letter indicates that the disparity in pay is already widening. Advertised pay in the most AI-exposed occupations has surged 46% since the start of 2021. In contrast, moderately AI-exposed jobs saw 41% growth, all U.S. postings saw 39% growth, and the least AI-exposed roles saw only 25% growth. The gap between these categories began widening materially in mid-2025.
