We stand at the precipice of artificial general intelligence—AGI—a transformation that could remake human society. And surprisingly, the most crucial book for understanding this moment wasn't written by a futurist or technologist, but by Oscar Wilde in 1891.
Let me explain.
While most know Wilde for The Portrait of Dorian Gray, his plays or his witticisms, he also wrote one political essay, The Soul of Man Under Socialism, which offers a vision that feels uncannily prescient today. Wilde wrote:
A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realization of Utopias.
Wilde imagined a distant future where technology and automation eliminate drudgery, fundamentally transforming work itself. In his vision, this liberation would allow everyone—not just the privileged few—to cultivate their individuality and creative potential as we shift away from a focus on corporate control of resources and private wealth to a sharing society.
According to leaders in the field like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic, we may be just 2-4 years away from AGI—systems that could eliminate most forms of cognitive labor, while AI-augmented robotics will similarly do away with most forms of manual work. We’re seeing rapid advances in humanoid robots and, as AI improves, these robots will become more powerful.
Wilde, with amazing foresight, understood that such technological revolution could lead to one of two futures: Either we would have an "industrial tyranny" of unprecedented scale, or a liberated society that converts "private property into public wealth,” replacing "competition with cooperation."
Today, most of us fear losing our livelihoods in a competitive economic system that ties our survival to our work. Wilde foresaw that under a different economic arrangement, this same technological development could free humanity. He observed that throughout history, artistic pursuits were largely limited to those with inherited wealth and leisure time. Only the privileged few had the time and resources to cultivate their unique gifts and their unique essence.
In a future where we are all liberated from drudgery, everyone would have this opportunity for creative self-development. This doesn’t mean that everyone will be artists: Some might concentrate on love, family relations, spiritual inquiry, or the might just lie on a riverbank contemplating clouds, crystals, and flowers. For Wilde, “cultivated leisure” — not labor or economic utility— was the desired end state.
Our lives would not be meaningless without work: They would be far more purposeful and meaningful, offering many new opportunities. Also, considering the ecological crisis we face as a species, with the abolition of drudgery, many people could be re-trained to help replenish ecosystems and save threatened species. Together we could undertake permaculture and aquaculture projects on a large scale, while shifting to renewable energy.
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