{
  "id": 17147840,
  "title": "Poverty in the age of plenty: The paradox of AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/poverty-in-the-age-of-plenty-the-paradox-of-ai",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-30T00:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20261030/poverty-in-the-age-of-plenty-the-paradox-of-ai"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "We find ourselves living in an age where intelligence is abundant, information is virtually free, and machines can accomplish tasks in mere seconds that once required months of human effort. Yet, paradoxically, as our technological prowess expands, we often appear to lose sight of what truly matters. With an abundance of communication channels, we seem more disconnected than ever. The wealth of knowledge at our fingertips leaves us feeling less confident. Convenience abounds, but patience dwindles.\n\nThis fascinating paradox, far from being a recent phenomenon, was first observed by economist John Maynard Keynes in his 1930 essay \"Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren.\" Keynes foresaw that technological advancements might eventually enable people to work just 15 hours a week. Yet, nearly a century later, despite the ubiquity of smart devices equipped with algorithms predicting our preferences and artificial intelligence (AI) assistants generating reports, presentations, and even computer code, we've not seen a surge in leisure time. Instead, many continue to labor tirelessly, working long hours without deriving much pleasure from life. We are inundated with an endless stream of notifications, meetings, and messages, each demanding more from us.",
  "summary": "We are approaching a world in which intelligence is abundant, information is virtually free and machines can do in seconds what once took humans months. But strangely, the more technologically advanced we become, the less we perceive what truly matters. We have more ways to communicate but feel more disconnected. We have more access to knowledge but less confidence. There is more convenience but…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}