AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent

Taking the claims of Artificial Intelligence firms seriously implies that these firms now benefit from legal defaults and vacuums that allow them to enclose economically relevant intellectual capacity and therefore cause mass displacement of labour. This process is carried out unilaterally and witho...

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Main Author: Jai Vipra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-12-01
Series:European Law Open
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2752613524000481/type/journal_article
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author Jai Vipra
author_facet Jai Vipra
author_sort Jai Vipra
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description Taking the claims of Artificial Intelligence firms seriously implies that these firms now benefit from legal defaults and vacuums that allow them to enclose economically relevant intellectual capacity and therefore cause mass displacement of labour. This process is carried out unilaterally and without compensation, and thus likely results in the pauperisation of a significant proportion of people worldwide. Thomas Paine’s analysis of land enclosures provides one way to think of enclosures of economically relevant intellectual capacity, and points to a universal basic income drawing from a data tax as a right derived from this enclosure.
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spelling doaj-art-101e2e8a53584070b87cf64a80995ace2025-08-20T02:31:43ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Law Open2752-61352024-12-01389090110.1017/elo.2024.48AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rentJai Vipra0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6220-0154Department of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USATaking the claims of Artificial Intelligence firms seriously implies that these firms now benefit from legal defaults and vacuums that allow them to enclose economically relevant intellectual capacity and therefore cause mass displacement of labour. This process is carried out unilaterally and without compensation, and thus likely results in the pauperisation of a significant proportion of people worldwide. Thomas Paine’s analysis of land enclosures provides one way to think of enclosures of economically relevant intellectual capacity, and points to a universal basic income drawing from a data tax as a right derived from this enclosure.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2752613524000481/type/journal_articleArtificial intelligencedata taxuniversal basic incomeThomas Paine
spellingShingle Jai Vipra
AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
European Law Open
Artificial intelligence
data tax
universal basic income
Thomas Paine
title AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
title_full AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
title_fullStr AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
title_full_unstemmed AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
title_short AI automation is enclosure: the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
title_sort ai automation is enclosure the case for data rent modelled on ground rent
topic Artificial intelligence
data tax
universal basic income
Thomas Paine
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2752613524000481/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT jaivipra aiautomationisenclosurethecasefordatarentmodelledongroundrent