Will Artificial Intelligence Bridge the Gaps or Deepen Them?
A glimpse into the social structures expected in 2075 reveals a society entirely different from the one we know today.
Fifty years ago, it was hard to imagine the impact social networks would have on daily life. Today, we’re only beginning to grasp the power of artificial intelligence. But as AI breakthroughs continue to astonish us at an accelerating pace, one question increasingly troubles researchers and futurists around the world: what will social class structures look like in a world almost entirely driven by artificial intelligence?
The Class System of 2075
Visions of the future describe a society divided into five main classes, not solely based on income, but rather on access to technology, information, and free time. At the top will be the “AI Orchestrators”, people who may not program themselves but who know how to design processes and control complex AI networks. Just beneath them will be the “Model Trainers”, those who maintain and teach the algorithms.
The middle class will split between those performing preserved human roles (like emotional care, personalized education, and art) and those interfacing with AI for administrative tasks. The lower class will consist mainly of people who do not interact directly with technology but make decisions based on predefined systems. And finally, the “Disconnected,” who live outside the networks and have no access to AI at all.
Education: Not What We Once Knew
Education is no longer confined to classrooms. Most children from the upper classes are guided by personalized AI learning systems that identify their talents and steer them toward tailored tracks from an early age. In contrast, children from lower classes receive “basic instruction”, a limited, automated curriculum that doesn’t adapt over time.
“We may be creating a new class of technological illiterates, not due to lack of ability, but due to lack of access,” says Dr. Andrea Kim from the University of Singapore, an expert in future tech ethics.
Work: Less Labor, More Navigation
Around 80% of jobs will be managed by AI systems. The humans who remain involved will do so in roles of oversight, approval, or moral supervision. Those unable to operate or analyze advanced systems simply won’t be considered relevant to the job market.
On the other hand, by this point a global universal basic income may already be in place, but even that will likely be tiered: a “smart income” that increases for those who contribute unique insights or experiences to the collective learning system.
Culture: Open Source or Closed Code?
Culture will split in two directions. On one side, a massive wave of creative output born from collaborations between human creators and generative AI systems. On the other, a small number of data oligarchies controlling exclusive datasets and artistic outputs, demanding high fees for access to any “premium” creation.
Emotions and Intimacy: A Privilege of the Connected?
One of the clearest indicators of social class will be the treatment of human emotion. In the upper classes, there will be advanced emotional systems that recognize deep human needs, provide emotional responses, and even form “emotional bonds.” In contrast, lower classes will have access only to basic, shallow response systems, lacking real emotional depth.
The gap won’t be just technological, it will be experiential. Those in higher classes will grow up with a sense of being understood, while others will face feelings of alienation and isolation.
The Future: Risk or Opportunity?
This vision isn’t necessarily dystopian, if we know how to navigate the change wisely. The opportunity lies in building open tools, accessible to all, and systems that evaluate people not by their technological origin, but by their human contribution.
In the words of tech philosopher Jean-Marc Noël:
“The question isn’t whether AI will replace us, but whom it will serve. If we choose to let it empower everyone, it could erase every social class we’ve ever known.”
The question isn’t whether artificial intelligence will replace us, but whom it will serve. If we choose to let it empower everyone, it could erase all the social classes of the past.
Jean-Marc Noël, technology philosopher
Can We Stop the Slide?
The real debate won’t be between humans and machines, but among humans themselves. Who will gain control? Who will have access? Will there be global regulations in place to safeguard equality?
Or will we find ourselves, fifty years from now, living in smart towers while others survive in analog “reserves,” cut off from progress?