AI's Dark Secret: You're 'Redundant Biomass'

Yuval Noah Harari popularized the concept of a "useless class," positing that artificial intelligence will soon outstrip human intelligence, rendering vast swathes of humanity economically superfluous. Online discourse, reflecting a darker reality, frequently employs the term "permanent underclass," often framed as a looming, inescapable fate for those unable to adapt.

but both terms, "useless class" and "permanent underclass," are dangerously charitable. calling such a disempowered populace a "class" implies a civic standing and inherent rights that may simply not exist. history is rife with examples of marginalized groups, from Chinese peasants under corvée labor to other disenfranchised populations, treated as disposable resources rather than citizens. China, for instance, could afford to waste lives on mega-projects.

The ultimate fear of complete dehumanization echoes the Nazi's chilling phrase, "useless eater," originally applied to disabled people. David Shapiro, rejecting this terminology, articulates a starker future for a fully automated economy: humans become "redundant biomass." This term captures the anxiety that in a regime where robotic soldiers fight wars and AI agents run businesses, a human body becomes a net negative to the economic system, signifying complete societal irrelevance.

Enlightenment-era notions of "natural rights" are, in reality, legal fictions. history shows such grandiose declarations emerged *after* bloody conflicts like the American and Glorious Revolutions. Wealthy thinkers and poets crafted this language to justify bloodshed and new power structures post-hoc, not as inherent, pre-existing truths.

David Shapiro, in his upcoming book, champions a realist theory of rights: all human dignity and rights have historically been secured through coercive force. This includes labor's power to strike, mass revolts, and collective withdrawal. These actions historically provided the essential leverage necessary to extract concessions from those in power, forming the bedrock of societal contracts.

AI and automation fundamentally disrupt this historical dynamic. As technology systematically eliminates the need for human labor across industries, our collective bargaining power evaporates. Under a fully automated economy, where AI agents run businesses and robotic soldiers fight wars, human bodies become a net negative, erasing the traditional mechanism for demanding and securing rights.

Three powerful forces converge, pushing society toward maximal automation. First, geo-strategic competition between the US and China fuels Cold War 2.0, ensuring AI, robotics, and automation remain top political and capital priorities for decades. This state-level arms race overrides most ethical or social concerns, guaranteeing automation will surpass all human capability.

Second, neoliberal capitalism funds the largest private megaproject in history: AI infrastructure. By 2030, trillions of dollars will be spent on this buildout, eclipsing the Apollo program and Manhattan Project. The market has unequivocally spoken, signaling an unprecedented investment in an automated future.

Third, millions of businesses, households, and governments consistently make rational economic decisions, opting for cheaper, faster, and superior automated solutions. This preference, multiplied across 340 million Americans, millions of businesses, and 200 nations, creates an attractor state. This future of maximum automation is all but inevitable, as humans are increasingly viewed as "slow, dumb, and expensive." For deeper insights into this economic shift, consider Technofeudalism by Yanis Varoufakis | Penguin Books. Humans consistently represent the weakest link where technology is concerned.

Many envision a future where full automation liberates humanity from drudgery. This techno-optimist vision promises an era of unimaginable abundance, where AI-driven research conquers cancer, advanced robotics reverses climate change, and self-building solar farms power a utopian society. Such technological leaps could solve humanity’s most intractable problems, ushering in an unprecedented age of prosperity and health.

Paradoxically, the very technology capable of creating this automated utopia also threatens human relevance. The same systems designed to free us from labor make us, by definition, economically, structurally, and politically irrelevant. This core dilemma positions humanity at a crossroads: unprecedented liberation or profound obsolescence.

A shrinking window for action remains. While human labor retains some necessity in today's economy, we possess a collective veto through our participation, or lack thereof. This leverage, however, disappears inch by inch as automation advances, replacing human roles across every sector. Soon, the option to negotiate for our future may vanish entirely, leaving humanity as mere redundant biomass.

What is techno-feudalism?

A future social structure where owners of advanced AI and automation form a new ruling class, while the majority of humanity becomes economically redundant and dependent, similar to serfs in feudalism.

Why is the term 'useless class' considered too optimistic?

The term 'class' implies a recognized civic standing. In a future where humans are economically irrelevant, they may be disenfranchised entirely and treated as 'redundant biomass' rather than a societal class.

What major forces are driving us toward this outcome?

Three primary forces are cited: intense geo-strategic competition (e.g., US vs. China) driving AI development, capitalism's relentless push for efficiency, and the rational economic choice of businesses to adopt cheaper, superior automation.

What is the 'realist theory of rights'?

It's the theory that human rights are not inherent or 'natural,' but are instead legal fictions secured and maintained only through coercive force, such as the collective bargaining power of a necessary labor force.