



AI isn't just another tech revolution—it could transform capitalism beyond recognition
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Two centuries and a half ago, Adam Smith used the example of a pin factory in The Wealth of Nations to explain how capitalism uses division of labour to boost productivity by splitting production into specialized tasks done by workers paid to work in close coordination for efficiency. But what happens to this model if AI agents run factories and companies?Andon Labs, a US-based startup, runs a cafe where tasks like inventory control, hiring, scheduling and operations are supervised by Mona, an AI agent powered by Google Gemini, even as human baristas brew and serve coffee.
Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 3.7, OpenClaw artifacts and other tools have also shown an ability to run businesses. How long before complex firms turn CEO roles over to artificial intelligence (AI)? Could AI-run startups emerge? And if Agentic AI systems designed to optimize resources find human behaviour hard to grasp, would they opt for fellow machines that do not tire, let alone unionize, seek meaning in their jobs and demand a work-life balance? Clearly, capitalism is headed for uncharted territory.It is not just pricing, procurement, logistics, hiring and advertising that AI could take over, but capital allocation too.
Zoom out, and that logic can apply to how capital markets allot funds. Algorithmic trading has been around for years.
Despite differing systems at play, they often act in sync—as we saw in the US ‘flash crash’ of 2010. Rival algorithms can respond in unison to the same signals.
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