Worried about AI and losing your job? Get a job in Washington, DC!

From Jamie Dimon to Geoffrey Hinton, everyone is talking about the impact artificial intelligence will have on society, and most of the news is not good. From civil unrest to unprecedented job losses, America and the entire world face a moral dilemma hitherto unknown. Of course, like all crises, the overlords of the universe, who believe they have our fate in their hands, and the cable news media are only talking about how it will affect the private sector and everyday Americans, but have wisely decided not to discuss how AI will impact the entrenched Washington establishment.

There is a very good reason why they remain silent. The truth is, artificial intelligence will have the opposite effect on the elite in Washington, which does not enrich itself via crude kleptocracy but rather through elite circulation. Our “beloved” politicians already profit indirectly, legally, and often in a deferred manner, as many benefit from lobbying jobs after leaving office, large speaking fees, think-tank sinecures, stock access, and regulatory foreknowledge. Artificial intelligence is just one more way to profit, as the national debt rises. In the private sector, when a private firm spends money, it is spending its own capital or borrowed funds that must be repaid from future profits.

When the United States government spends money, it is spending other people’s money, and the obligation created by that spending is pushed forward onto future taxpayers, future borrowing (which itself implies future taxes), and future inflation, which is a hidden tax. In reality, a government budget is not constrained by current income in the same way the average American household or private firm is. A government budget is a legal claim on society’s future productive output and is a forward-looking entitlement, not a performance reward. Thus, government spending is decoupled from productivity. Losses are externalized to the unborn—efficiency threatens power, not waste. In government, there is no mechanism for converting efficiency into reward, as in the private sector. AI will not break this logic in Washington; it will add to bureaucratic sprawl. In the private sector, cost overruns result in lower profits and the risk of bankruptcy.

In government, failure does not liquidate the organization; it justifies expansion through bigger budgets and more hiring. In the private sector, labor is a cost, so business owners will use AI to reduce labor costs. In a private business, 10 people will be replaced by 1 person and AI. In government, you will still have the 10 people, as well as the implementation of AI, but also 5 new hires to “manage” the AI; new AI oversight offices, advisory boards, and ethics committees that seek to reward not efficiency but political patronage. Waste, not efficiency, is functional in American politics, and rewarding patronage is a central stabilizing mechanism. Washington has no incentive to cut costs, for obvious reasons. Using AI to control narratives, surveil Americans, and obfuscate what’s actually going on will make the government more powerful and untouchable. So, if you are a young person contemplating your future and worried about artificial intelligence, consider a job in the Caretaker Regime of Washington, DC.