Victor Menaldo on AI will create a permanent underclass

Victor Menaldo

Professor of political science at the University of Washington, writing on political economy and technology.

But the doomsday case rests on a flawed arithmetic: If AI can do 40 percent of a job’s tasks, then 40 percent of the work must go. But a job is not a to-do list of separable chores.

AI Verified (Jul 12, 2026)

Source:

Victor Menaldo, “The apocalypse that isn’t coming,” The Washington Post, July 12, 2026.

2mo ago

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AI will create a permanent underclass

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AI Verified Menaldo rejects the premise that automated tasks eliminate equivalent jobs, opposing a permanent underclass. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5 · 2mo ago

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AI Verified Menaldo rejects AI-job-loss arithmetic: against permanent underclass. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5 · 2mo ago

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AI Verified Washington Post article contains the stored Victor Menaldo wording. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5 · 2mo ago

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AI will create more jobs than it destroys

The doomsday case rests on a flawed arithmetic: If AI can do 40 percent of a job’s tasks, then 40 percent of the work must go. But a job is not a to-do list of separable chores. Firms employ people for bundles of work held together by judgment, coord...

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