AI can Earn, but must not Accumulate: Temporal Sovereignty and the Economic Boundaries of Artificial Agents

Abstract

This paper argues that the central economic challenge posed by artificial intelligence is not job displacement or income distribution, but the question of temporal sovereignty: who is permitted to accumulate wealth across time and therefore own the future. While proposals such as Universal Basic Income address short-term income gaps, they do not confront the structural implications of allowing AI systems to become capital-bearing entities. I propose a boundary principle-AI may earn, but must not accumulate-which allows artificial agents to operate in markets without acquiring long-term economic sovereignty. This principle preserves human temporal sovereignty while avoiding both technological prohibition and unbounded capital absorption by AI. The paper frames this as an institutional design problem rather than a moral or technological one.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Political Economy, Temporal Sovereignty, Economic Sovereignty, Institutional Design, Future of Work, AI Governance, Capital Accumulation, Post-Labor Economics, Universal Basic Income, Automation