The Political Economy of Artificial Intelligence: Energy, Human Dignity, and Social Contract Theory

This article investigates the political economy of artificial intelligence by examining the relationships among technological development, energy availability, and financial dynamics. Drawing on social contract theory, it considers how these transformations may affect human dignity, social cooperation, and the institutional distribution of opportunities, resources, and responsibilities, while distinguishing observable consequences from hypotheses that require empirical verification. The analysis argues that ener…

By the Truvace deskOctober 21, 20262 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-2113· cite & verify

In brief

The paper applies social contract theory to the political economy of AI, looking at how technology development, energy availability and financial dynamics interact. It separates observable consequences from hypotheses that still need empirical testing, and it rejects both the idea that AI systems act autonomously and the idea that their social effects are predetermined.

Its significance lies in framing the key question as who governs AI's transformation, bears its costs and captures its benefits. Because the framework is a proposal, its real-world value depends on later measurement of employment, wages, productivity, public finances and the distribution of innovation gains, which the paper does not report.

Main points

The analysis treats energy constraints, computing capacity, financial expectations and displacement of professional and managerial work as parts of one integrated framework.
It proposes governance combining technical oversight, labor protection, redistributive measures and international cooperation.
It says the framework should be judged by measurable effects on employment, wages, productivity, public finances and distribution of innovation benefits.
It warns that without public oversight and distributive safeguards, AI could weaken social cohesion and the material foundations of human dignity.

The problem

The article argues that accelerated AI deployment concentrates technological and financial power, pressures energy systems and exposes labor markets to disruption, which could deepen inequality without public oversight and distributive safeguards.

The rundown

The article, published in Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, draws on social contract theory to examine how AI transformations may affect human dignity, social cooperation and the institutional distribution of opportunities, resources and responsibilities.

It describes current pressures as concentration of technological and financial power, rising demands on energy systems, and disruption to labor markets and democratic institutions. These are presented as an argument about deployment trends rather than as newly measured results.

The proposed response is a governance framework with four elements: technical oversight, labor protection, redistributive measures and international cooperation. The author says its adequacy must be tested against measurable economic and fiscal outcomes.