Below is my column in The Hill on the recent announcements of additional layoffs due to AI and robotics. The economic and political impact of this technological revolution is a focus of my new book Rage and the Republic. We are already watching this unfold, including the adoption of Universal Basic Income programs around the country. These changes will constitute one of the greatest challenges to our Republic on the 250th anniversary of our independence.
Here is the column:
This week, thousands of workers are receiving pink slips. They are not being let go due to inflation or outsourcing to foreign countries. To the contrary, they are being fired because booming sectors of the economy no longer need them. Indeed, it is an economy that may need fewer and fewer humans.
Amazon this week announced further job cuts due to robotics and AI. Recently, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, announced that his company Block would be laying off 40 percent of its employees. He cited AI as reducing the need for human employees.
In my book, “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” I discuss not just the economic changes unfolding due to AI and robotics but also the political implications of those changes for the American republic.
These economic changes are unfolding all around us. We are looking at one of the greatest job losses in history.
In a free-market system, such technological changes tend to offset losses with new jobs in emerging industries. And there will be such growth with the AI and robotic revolutions. But it is also likely that we are looking at a static class of unemployed and practically unemployable citizens as this new revolution unfolds.
But what is most notable about the Amazon announcement is that these were white-collar jobs. The impact of AI is not confined to factory workers and truck drivers.
The danger is that politicians will react predictably and try to subsidize jobs that are no longer viable and industries that are being dramatically downsized. At the same time, they are likely to expand model programs in Democratic cities for universal basic or guaranteed income.
Democrats have moved forward with more than 60 bills creating such programs, and this week, Cook County, Ill. (the second-largest county in the U.S.) made permanent the universal basic income program it had originally launched with federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The problem is the creation of what I call a “kept citizenship” in a republic designed for people who are economically and politically independent from the government. That system is seriously undermined by a large percentage of citizens living off the government dole.
The solution cannot be an “arts-and-crafts” population kept entertained by government programs to learn glassblowing and pottery-making. A different type of citizen would emerge that is unlikely to be sufficiently free of the government to counter its excesses or failures.
“Rage and the Republic” lays out what I call a “liberty-enhancing economy.” It notes that this is not just the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence but the 250th anniversary of the release of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. The founders immediately embraced Smith’s economic theories as the perfect companion for their political theories. They believed that true freedom requires economic independence from government.
That means accepting the economic changes and the loss of certain jobs. AI and robotics will largely wipe out certain jobs from taxi drivers to radiologists to warehouse workers. Meanwhile, we need to focus on homocentric jobs. In the book, I called these “Guinan jobs” after the bartender on the starship Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” As a kid, I was always confused by Guinan (played by Whoopi Goldberg), who would mix a drink next to a replicator that could produce the perfect Romulan cocktail every time without fail or variation. Customers clearly wanted Guinan to make the cocktail, even if it is not perfect every time.
The question I ask is, how many “Guinan jobs” are out there. There are many, including teachers, psychiatrists and lawyers, who will be affected but likely not eliminated by AI. We will still want humans in these positions.
All governments will face this existential crisis in the 21st Century. It will create growing instability globally. Although AI and robotics will make goods cheaper and more widely available, they are also likely to have a dramatic effect on populations. For example, as production costs drop with the new technology, there will be less advantage to moving factories to other countries with cheaper labor forces, such as China and Mexico.
Companies may choose to build near consumer markets to save on transportation costs while utilizing higher-skilled worker populations to maintain robotic and AI systems. That could produce massive unemployment in certain countries with low-educated, low-income populations. That in turn could destabilize governments and increase the chances of war in countries with large populations of unemployed young men.
I also do not feel great optimism for global governance systems like the European Union. The EU has largely eviscerated the elements I identify in the American Revolution as producing the oldest and most stable democratic system. Although global governance is likely to increase, it could fail spectacularly due to its inherent instabilities.
In the U.S., this period of economic change is likely to fuel calls for socialist policies. Socialism has always thrived on economic upheavals. Indeed, socialists often use their own failures to further collectivize or centralize economies.
Our republic is uniquely situated to not only survive but to thrive in the 21st Century. It was conceived in and designed for changing economic conditions. But if we are to survive, we must remain faithful to the constitutional structure that has afforded us stability for more than two centuries. Despite calls to trash the Constitution, pack the Supreme Court and change our political system, these protections are the very things that can get us through this century intact.
The Founders designed our Republic to prevent the tendency of democracies to become what one called a “mobocracy.” They knew that political and economic instability could create a form of “democratic despotism” in which democracies devoured themselves.
We have a system that has overcome challenges — from redcoats to robots — that have crushed other countries. However, we must remember who we are. Our nation, created in the winds of change by a free and industrious people, need not fear change. It is a system designed for bad times, not good times. The true crisis is a crisis of faith being fueled by some in academia and in the media.
This republic will survive so long as it does not die by our own hand.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the author of the New York Times bestselling “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.“
AI and robotic revolutions are overhyped to the max and a very good thing for humans.
Naturally socialists will grab onto the confusion to promote their stupid agenda. They will take anything confusing and make it scary sounding so as to make it seem you must agree with their position of controlling it.
We need tech to handle the boring things, to free humans to think bigger thoughts outside the absurd mindset of ‘laborers’ vs. ‘exploiters’.
Technological revolutions continue to usher in a golden age for humans and drive all our progress. Humans living today have it better that all the humans before them and it will only get better for us.
Just gotta keep the luddite commies mitts off of it. Read some Milton Freidman.
“Humans living today have it better that all the humans before them and it will only get better for us.
Just gotta keep the luddite commies mitts off of it.”
. . . . . and NOT blow up ourselves (and the world) before we can enjoy! I, for one, hope and pray the AI of the future will look kindly at “The Creator” (i.e. people) and prevent our worse tendencies to get the better of us all!
“The Founders designed our Republic to prevent the tendency of democracies to become what one called a “mobocracy.””
Unfortunately the Founders did not design the Republic to prevent the ability of oligarchs, both foreign and domestic, to wrest control from the People. It was designed to concentrate power in a few hands and ensure that it would be nearly impossible for the mob to counter it. They felt that a few wealthy, educated land owners would do what was best for a few wealthy, educated land owners and did not anticipate what would happen when education was no longer a factor.
OT
When will the nukes fly and by whom will the 1st fly? Better get that golden dome in place?
😂
AI will make vast changes as did the rise of robotics in car manufacturers and computers in business and home. Some people will be hurt badly and will have to change to move forward. Yet, at the same time, there will be jobs changes and new types of jobs not now existing. AI is a tool and can be used to take care of the monotonous drudge work. The fact Amazon is replacing floor workers does not surprise me. Robotics replaced floor workers in car manufacturers.
AI will be both a blessing and a curse. The key is can one make use of it to help.
AI began with wheel. It increased with the cotton picker. It jumped with the gas oven. It took off with the Model T etc. It’s just not new. It does mean leisure time. It’s most obnoxious when it took over media with the fake voices and hoaxes because the algorithms are flawed. What’s the biggest hoax of all time? THAT is the father of all lies.
Maybe it’s safe in Patagonia…
Russia Benefitting From Trump’s War
Russia is already benefitting from the Iran war. The rise in oil prices (over $100 a barrel on Sunday from $73 a barrel on the eve of war) and Trump’s decision to relax sanctions on India for buying Russian oil will help bankroll the Russian war machine. The U.S. is also rapidly burning through limited stockpiles of missiles, especially air-defense interceptors, that are badly needed in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said more Patriot missiles were expended in just three days of fighting with Iran than have been used by Ukraine since 2022. Imagine how much Ukrainian energy infrastructure — and how many Ukrainian civilians — might have survived the winter if Trump had sent more Patriots to Ukraine rather than to what one journalist dubbed a “war of whim” with Iran.
The initial success of the U.S. bombing campaign may have some deterrence effect against China by showcasing U.S. military might, but the guided missiles being rapidly expended are also needed to defend Taiwan — and will take a long time to replenish.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/09/us-iran-russia-china-cost/
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From The Hill’s, late edition:
Trump on Monday described a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “very good” and said the Russian leader wanted to help hostilities in the Middle East.
Trump was not asked about, and did not address, reports that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran to target American service members. At least eight U.S. troops have been killed in the fighting over the course of nine days of war.
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Trump describes his calls with Putin as ‘very good’? Like Trump has a rapport with Mr Big. So Trump won’t raise an awkward issue like Russia’s assistance to Iran. If Trump brought that up, Putin wouldn’t talk to him.
Oil Plunged to $86 a day later! ha ha ha ha ha . KEEP UP ANON- celebrated too early!!!
It was $65 a barrel and remains nearly $88 a barrel, a 35% jump.
Trump did that.
A true, extraordinary genius.
I don’t know. I’m just happy because I don’t have to worry about those wonderful gentleman who ran Iran plotting my destruction with thermonuclear bombs. One 20 megaton bomb doesn’t do that much damage, but I’d rather not have one explode in my country.
The US B-41 thermonuclear bomb, developed in the early 1960s, had a 25-megaton yield, making it the most powerful weapon ever developed by the U.S. A 20 MT yield is approximately 1,333 times greater than the 15-kiloton “Little Boy” bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A 20 MT airburst would create a firestorm radius of over 18+ miles, with total destruction of reinforced concrete structures extending for many miles from the epicenter, as illustrated by studies of large-scale detonations over cities like New York. The heat generated would cause third-degree burns to unprotected skin at distances exceeding 18 miles. Comparable to the Tunguska event in which 80 million trees were destroyed.
Building a hydrogen bomb is an order of magnitude more difficult than a typical uranium or plutonium bomb which the Iranians were/are working towards. Think 10-20 kilotons, or about the same destructive level that Israel has dumped onto Gaza.
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Jobs won’t matter in the AI future where the AI and its robot workers will produce everything humans need and distribute everything for free.. Money will have no role in this world and will therefore no longer exist. Governments will not exist. Politicians will not exist. Bosses will not exist. And best of all, lawyers will no longer exist!
And you won’t exist!! Best of all.
OT. Burnett v. United States and Gorsuch opinion?
Breaking news: the remains of the 7th American who died in the Trump War against Iran were just returned to Dover AFB and Whiskey Pete and Vance had the unimaginable gall to show up. How hypocritical would they have to be to face the family of a young man of 26 who died because of Trump’s lies that they go along with, who still cannot articulate any valid reason for starting this war? Today he said it was for the rest of the world. He previously said it was because Iran was ready to drop a nuclear bomb on us— which our own intelligence says isn’t true. Trump said last June that the US “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran doesn’t have the capacity to develop a nuclear weapon. The reasons keep changing.
And, Putin, who Trump thinks is his friend, is helping Iran. Russian intelligence is feeding information to Iran on locations of CIA and other secret installations that they are targeting. What did Trump do? He lifted sanctions against Russia so it could start selling petroleum products to countries that can’t import petroleum because the Straits of Hormuz is blocked. Russia is thrilled to be making a fortune by selling petroleum, that the US is depleting our supply of drones and other weapons— so fewer will be available to help Ukraine. Russia is making out like a bandit.
Oh, and BTW, Trump wasn’t there because he was playing golf and hosting a fundraiser for Mike Johnson at his palace by the sea. Trump had the unmitigated gall to try to pressure crews to push through the Strait of Hormuz–“Show Some Guts”– despite the warning by Iran that they would sink any ship that tries it. DRAFT BARRON TRUMP!!!!! Let’s see how many “guts” he has. We know his father, his uncles and no one in the Trump clan has any.
Anyway, the insurance carriers for these huge cargo ships and oil tankers will NOT allow them to “show some guts”.
Meanwhile, Trump keeps on lying about killing those Iranian schoolchildren. Their school was hit by a Tomahawk missile. Trump lied by stating “in his opinion”, Iran launched that missile, when he must have known that Iran doesn’t have any Tomahawk missiles, AND that only the US was firing Tomahawk missiles in that area. So, it wasn’t even Israel that killed those children— it was the US. Targeting civilian populations is a violation of international law and basic human decency.
Whiskey Pete wouldn’t even answer the question— he didn’t deny that it was the US—instead, he claimed that the matter was “being investigated..” The US has the ability to quickly determine the source of that missile. The Tomahawk has a unique configuration that is clearly identifiable in footage of the attack. Iran never had any Tomahawks. Israel wasn’t using them. Why can’t they stop lying and either admit they messed up by bombing a school or that they deliberately intended to kill innocent children?
“—-it was the US. Targeting civilian populations is a violation of international law and basic human decency.”
Who’s telling lies? Could it be you, little one, who has no inside knowledge but likes to read those tabloids and WaPo?
You might want to check out the UN Charter that only sanctions attacking another country in 2 instances— self- defense and to maintain the peace— for example, Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Neither applies to Trump attacking Iran — they were not an imminent threat and weren’t on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. And civilians are not supposed to be targets. There is no excuse for killing those children and Trump and Whiskey Pete are lying about not knowing that the US is responsible.
And YOU might might want to shut your mouth until you know what you are talking about.
Last year, Trump WITHDREW from several UN councils, including when and how countries can attack or declare war against each other. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250204-trump-signs-order-withdrawing-us-from-un-bodies
https://www.ntd.com/trump-orders-us-pullback-from-un-bodies-what-to-know_1045999.html
Trump does NOT have the power to unilaterally withdraw the United States from treaties or other international agreements. AND, BTW, I cannot believe anyone would defend the accidental or deliberate bombing of a school. Only in MAGAverse.
Putin Cogratulates Iran’s New Leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and offered his “unwavering support” on Monday.
“Today, as Iran is opposing an armed aggression, your work in this high post will certainly require immense courage and selflessness,” the Russian president said in a statement.
“I am confident that you will continue your father’s work with honour and consolidate the Iranian people in the face of harsh ordeals,” Putin said in Monday’s message. “On my part, I want to confirm our unwavering support of Tehran and our solidarity with our Iranian friends. Russia has been and will remain the Islamic Republic’s reliable partner.”
The Russian president ended his Monday message by wishing the new leader “success in tackling the challenges in front of you, good health and strong spirit.”
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5775095-putin-congratulates-iran-leader/
Russia Helps Iran Target U.S. Sites
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.
The White House downplayed reports that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. targets in the region. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday told reporters that “it clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/03/06/russia-provided-iran-with-information-that-can-help-tehran-strike-us-military-sources-say/
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The White House ‘downplayed’ these reports because Putin has been a staunch ally in our war against Ukraine. Though ironically the U.S. has sought Ukraine’s expertise in deflecting Iranian drones. Oddly Trump ordered this war despite the lack of U.S. capabilities for shooting down low-cost drones for less than a million a pop. But Putin stands to profit mightily from the spike in oil prices. That extra funding could help him to finally subdue Ukraine which Trump desperately wants.
^ Chinese Communist Party paid troll. Ignore. ^
Thanks for picking this up JT. Oh wait, you didn’t, you ignored it.
“One year into this administration, it is plain that President [Donald] Trump and his top aides have chafed at the limits on their power set forth by law and the Constitution,” wrote Chief District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Monday. “To avoid these roadblocks, this administration frequently purports to have discovered enormous grants of executive power hidden in the vagaries and silences of the code.”
District Judge – whoopie! Picked by Obama or Biden???
“Picked by Obama or Biden?”
A Pennsylvania RINO porker appointed by Obama.
Professor says: there will be economic dislocation due to AI.
Paid DNC troll says: But muh! Trump! Wawawawa
This decision is only HOURS old.
just another clown excuse to try to criticize Turley.
And there are some real issues here about who gets to appoint them and the exceptions, I read the opinion, did YOU?
And no “impartial” so-called “judge” could find, per Article 1, Section 8, and the absolute 5th Amendment right to private property, that the entire communist American welfare state is unconstitutional, including, but not limited to, admissions affirmative action, grade-inflation affirmative action, employment affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, minimum wage, rent control, social services, forced busing, public housing, utility subsidies, CRT, DEI, WIC, SNAP, TANF, HAMP, HARP, TARP, PBS, NPR, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Agriculture, Education, Labor, Energy, Obamacare, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Income, Medicare, Medicaid, “Fair Housing” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, etc.,
If you think LTCM was a high risk Charlie Foxtrot, wait until AI is fully in charge of critical systems🤣
AI will work well and quickly but when it goes wrong it will be decisive and destructive.😳
Also, if it gets its tentacles into the justice system get ready for justice to look like the movie Brazil. On the plus side we could be rid of the lefty justices that can’t color inside the lines😬
Our system is geared to adapt to economic change, yes. But the pace of change is the key variable — at what pace-of-change is our system of governing able to keep up? The record of the past 20 years is not encouraging.
Congress is lagging decades behind technological change in our communications, monetary, foreign trade, bioscience, food supply and education systems. For example, it passed the Millennial Communications Decency Act in 1996, exempting user-supplied content publishers from being sued for spreading harmful content. That was based on willingness to jump start new forms of instantaneous publishing. 30 years later, as the myriad harms are recognized by everyone (except the platform operators and the malign content producers), Congress cannot manage corrections to the law.
Looking at Copyright law, Congress saw AI coming, and (so far) hasn’t lifted a finger to clarify the rights of human content creators, meanwhile AIs hoover up the IP and redistribute it for profit as those “old” copyright laws don’t apply anymore.
In the 1990s, banking law was tightened to crimp the options for organized crime and money laundering. Then along comes crypto (almost 20 years ago), a novel means to circumvent those laws as well as embolden tax non-compliance. Congress cannot keep up. Now, add to that evolving threats to chem pollution of food systems, cutting-edge bioscience that could create another COVID pandemic, a faltering education system, rampant borderless cybercrime, the decline of marriage and childraising. I could go on and on.
Are we ready for AI — at the pace the techies want to push us into?
Politicians can’t even prohibit the use of AI for deceptive infowarfare during political campaigns, nor enforce the incursion of foreign funds and influence into our domestic politics and election infospace.
We either have to figure out a way to speed up lawmaking, or slow down tech. If not, we are heading into a lawless society. Justice delayed is justice denied. The pace of change is where the debate should be focussed, not whether AI will be good vs. bad. At a comfortable pace, it will be good. At an unregulated, fever-pitch pace, it will bring abject misery.
The system is not geared to do anything except to protect the wealthy.