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The Lens
Every major technology has redistributed power. The printing press democratized knowledge. The internet democratized communication. AI promises to democratize intelligence itself. But promises of democratization often mask a deeper concentration.
The pattern is consistent: a new technology initially appears to level the playing field, then gradually concentrates advantage among those with the resources to exploit it most effectively. AI is following this pattern at an accelerated pace. Those with access to the best models, the most data, and the deepest technical expertise are pulling away from everyone else - not in wealth alone, but in cognitive capacity.
The result may be a new form of aristocracy: not one based on birth or land, but on differential access to artificial intelligence. A cognitive caste system in which the augmented few can think faster, decide better, and act more effectively than the unaugmented many - permanently.
The False Remedies
”AI will be available to everyone”
The most common reassurance is that AI tools will become ubiquitous and cheap, like smartphones. This confuses access with advantage. Everyone may have access to basic AI tools, but the gap between consumer-grade and enterprise-grade AI may be as vast as the gap between a pocket calculator and a supercomputer. Equality of access does not mean equality of capability.
”Education is the great equalizer”
The faith in education as a leveling force assumes that the relevant skills can be taught and learned at scale. But when the frontier of AI capability moves faster than any curriculum can adapt, education becomes a treadmill - always running, never catching up. The half-life of technical skills is shrinking toward zero.
”Antitrust will prevent concentration”
Competition policy addresses market concentration but not cognitive concentration. Even in a perfectly competitive AI market, the differential between sophisticated and unsophisticated users would create stratification. The problem is not monopoly; it is the nature of the technology itself.
What We Actually Need
National
Public AI infrastructure that ensures high-capability AI access for all citizens, not just those who can afford premium tiers. Universal cognitive infrastructure, analogous to universal education or public libraries - institutions designed to prevent the emergence of a permanent cognitive underclass.
Global
International frameworks to prevent AI-enabled cognitive colonialism, where advanced nations or corporations use superior AI to extract value from less technologically advanced populations. A global digital equity framework that treats cognitive access as a fundamental right.