AI may benefit ordinary people more than its critics assume.

Comment “Artificial” and we’ll send you an article that explores this further. Wealthy people have always been able to hire assistants, researchers, tutors, chefs, and specialists. AI increasingly gives ordinary people access to capabilities that once required money, connections, or specialized expertise. That does not mean every use of AI is beneficial or every risk is imaginary. But widespread voluntary adoption tells us something important: millions of people believe these tools improve their lives. Milton Friedman, Henry Hazlitt, and Matt Ridley each emphasized a broader lesson about technology: innovation raises living standards by expanding what ordinary people can do. The challenge is to preserve competition and experimentation while addressing concrete harms, rather than freezing a rapidly evolving technology through premature regulation.