Charles Hugh Smith's Substack

Charles Hugh Smith’s Substack

AI and the Delusions of Increasing Productivity

Most of AI isn't productive, it's just another form of consumption.

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Charles Hugh Smith
Aug 10, 2026
∙ Paid

Like GDP (Gross Domestic Product), economic Productivity is an unquenchable spring of delusions, delusions being pushed to new heights of delirium by promises of endless leaps of productivity as AI is deployed in every nook and cranny of the global economy.

Let’s start with what Productivity measures. Like GDP, Productivity distills everything in the wor…

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