# Post-Labor Economics As AI and automation replace human labor at scale, wage-based income distribution breaks down. If most people cannot earn wages, consumer demand collapses, threatening the entire economic system regardless of productivity gains. The proposed solution is a shift from wage-based income to **broad capital ownership** - distributing ownership stakes in productive assets (machines, AI systems, companies) so that households derive income from capital returns rather than labor. This is distinct from UBI (which is a transfer payment) - post-labor economics focuses on **ownership restructuring** so income flows naturally from the productive system rather than requiring ongoing redistribution. Key tension: current capital concentration trends move in the opposite direction of what post-labor economics requires.