Toward a Post-Labour Society

Current Reality — 2025

The Post-Labour Horizon

For the first time in human history, we can realistically imagine a world where most routine labour is performed by machines. Not in some distant science fiction future, but within the coming decades. What does such a world look like?

A post-labour society doesn't mean no one works. It means work becomes a choice rather than a necessity — something we do because we want to, not because we must to survive.

The Automation Reality

We're not speculating about a distant future. The automation of work is happening now, at an unprecedented pace. Understanding the scale and timeline helps us prepare for what's ahead.

These aren't pessimistic predictions—they're opportunities. Higher productivity could mean more wealth to distribute, more time for human pursuits, and the chance to reimagine what work means in our lives. The question is whether we'll design systems that share these benefits broadly.

Beyond Necessity

Throughout history, most humans have worked because they had to. Survival required labour — growing food, building shelter, earning income. This necessity has shaped our institutions, our values, and our understanding of what it means to live a good life.

When AI can perform most economically necessary labour, this fundamental constraint relaxes. The question shifts from "how do I earn a living?" to "how do I spend my time meaningfully?"

The Meaning Question

One of the deepest challenges of a post-labour society is psychological. Work provides more than income — it provides identity, purpose, structure, and social connection. What replaces these functions when work becomes optional?

History offers some precedents. The aristocracy of past eras lived without economic necessity and found meaning in art, politics, philosophy, and social pursuits. Some thrived; others descended into ennui. The difference now is scale: we're talking about this choice being available to everyone, not just a privileged few.

New Forms of Contribution

In a post-labour society, human activity might shift toward pursuits that emphasize human expression, connection, and judgment rather than economically necessary output.

Economic Models: A Comparison

How would economics work in a post-labour society? Researchers and policymakers have proposed several models. Here's how the leading approaches compare, based on current evidence and analysis.

The Transition Challenge

The hardest part isn't imagining the end state — it's managing the transition. Moving from a work-based society to a post-labour society is a multi-generational project involving deep changes to education, policy, culture, and identity.

These are not primarily technical challenges — they're social, political, and psychological challenges. The technology to enable a post-labour society already exists or is rapidly developing. The harder work is building the institutions, policies, and cultural frameworks to make the transition equitable and humane.

Thought Leaders & Academic Discourse

The idea of a post-work society isn't new, but it's gained urgency as AI capabilities accelerate. Here are key voices shaping the conversation.

Not Utopia, Not Dystopia

A post-labour society could be wonderful or terrible depending on how we build it. It could mean freedom, creativity, and flourishing for all — or it could mean purposelessness, inequality, and loss of human agency.

The outcome isn't predetermined. It depends on the choices we make now about how AI is developed, who benefits from it, and what kind of society we want to create. The evidence from real-world experiments—UBI pilots, reduced work weeks, AI productivity gains—shows that positive outcomes are possible. But they require intentional design, equitable distribution mechanisms, and attention to human psychological needs.

The Planetary Labour Vision

At Planetary Labour, we believe in a future where AI amplifies human capability rather than replacing human value. Where the benefits of AI labour are broadly distributed. Where humans are freed to pursue meaning, creativity, and connection.

This isn't inevitable — it's a choice. And building it starts with how we design AI systems today. The research is clear: automation can improve lives, reduce drudgery, and create space for human flourishing—if we build the social and economic structures to support it.

The data from Iceland, Kenya, Finland, and dozens of other experiments shows that when we give people security and reduce mandatory work hours, they don't become lazy. They become healthier, happier, more creative, and more engaged in their communities. That's the future worth building.