AI automates tasks. Governments carry responsibility. That gap matters even more in welfare states.
Social work demands judgment, trust, and moral accountability. Teachers shape citizens, not outputs. Health care relies on responsibility under uncertainty, not pattern matching. States run on legitimacy and human obligation, not efficiency alone.
Even if AI boosts productivity across these sectors, someone still funds universal care, education, and social insurance. Remove taxes and the welfare state collapses long before any ”AI government” appears.
Claiming AI replaces government skips the core question: who guarantees care when systems fail, people fall through cracks, or outcomes turn unjust? Algorithms can advise. They can’t answer politically or ethically.
Tax the concentration of wealth and power they amplify. Without that, automation doesn’t liberate society. It hollows it out.
