// AI news · 2026-11-03 · The Decoder
Engineers compare AI intelligence hoarding to mercantilism
Engineer Venkatesh Rao draws an analogy between AI intelligence hoarding and mercantilism, arguing that elites treat intelligence as a scarce resource to be controlled.
Published 2026-11-03 03:43 (Beijing time)Source The DecoderAuto-summarised, fact-checked against source
01Summary
He suggests AI may increase demand for human thinking, similar to early capitalism's rise in labor hours for goods. Fair access to AI should be prioritized over protecting legacy jobs, and autonomous AI could generate new intellectual demand with appropriate guardrails.
Summarised from the original article by an open-source model, then checked automatically: every number and English name must appear in the source. The original article is authoritative.
02Key points
- Rao compares AI intelligence hoarding to mercantilism
- Elites view intelligence as scarce and dangerous to control
- AI may increase demand for human thinking like early capitalism
- Autonomous AI can create new intellectual demand with proper guardrails
03Source
AI elites might hoard intelligence like mercantilists hoarded gold
The Decoder · published 2026-11-03 03:43 Beijing time
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