# AI elites might hoard intelligence like mercantilists hoarded gold

**Published:** November 2, 2026
**Author:** Manuel Uth
**Source:** The Decoder
**Language:** en-US
**HTML:** https://aiqazaqstan.com/en/articles/ai-elites-might-hoard-intelligence-like-mercantilists-hoarded-gold

Engineer Venkatesh Rao compares the fear of AI job losses to mercantilism: intelligence is treated as a scarce resource that elites want to control. But AI could boost demand for human thinking, much like early capitalism made people voluntarily work more. The article AI elites…

> From the original source: **The Decoder**
> [Read full article at The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com/ai-elites-might-hoard-intelligence-like-mercantilists-hoarded-gold/)

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