The End of the Work Era: How Poland Can Rediscover Meaning and Prosperity

Fundacja Dobre Państwo • January 8, 2026 • 🇵🇱 Polski

The Horse Manure Metaphor: The End of Traditional Solutions

Modern debates on technology often invoke the "horse manure metaphor"—the 19th-century London crisis that supposedly resolved itself thanks to the invention of the automobile. This is a dangerous illusion. Today’s "digital manure" in the form of infosmog, job-displacing algorithms, and the erosion of trust will not vanish with the next innovation. This article analyzes why traditional approaches to work and education are failing and how Poland can find prosperity in a world where work is no longer a universal ticket to dignity.

Susskind’s Vision: The Twilight of Work as the Foundation of Existence

Daniel Susskind argues that the age-old problem of scarcity has been solved, and we are entering a post-work era. Traditional education is no longer a panacea because AI does not just support humans (a complementary force) but methodically usurps tasks across manual, cognitive, and affective domains (substitution). A machine does not need to think like us to perform tasks faster and cheaper. In Poland, the modern "horse manure" consists of energy bottlenecks in the AI economy, the metropolitan housing crisis, and cyber threats that technology cannot solve without changing the rules of the game.

Conditional Basic Income and Wealth Funds: A New Era of Distribution

Since the labor market is ceasing to function as a safety net, the state must build a Conditional Basic Income system. This is not charity, but a contract: money in exchange for social contributions, such as caregiving, volunteering, or education. Simultaneously, a National Wealth Fund should pay citizens a dividend from profits generated by shared resources and technology. Fiscal reform is essential: taxing capital gains, closing Big Tech tax loopholes, and a new Labor Code that promotes a shorter work week and the quality of relationships over mere hours logged.

The State as a Meaning-Maker: Institutions Filling the Void

When work no longer defines identity, the state must become a "meaning-maker." Our work ethos, rooted in religion (from the Benedictine ora et labora to the Protestant ethic), is crumbling, giving rise to an existential void and a loneliness epidemic. We must limit the political power of digital platforms that orchestrate public debate and prioritize education for leisure that teaches civic virtues. However, the greatest barrier remains political resistance and a lack of imagination among elites who focus on short-term polling instead of charting a horizon for change.

Summary: Dignity in a Post-Work World

In a world where machines take over our tasks, we must ask ourselves: what will fill the remaining void? The real challenge is not the fight for jobs, but finding dignity in a reality where work no longer defines our humanity. Will we become a society of idle consumers, or will we find meaning in relationships and care for the common good? The answer depends on the courage to rebuild the foundations of the state and the economy.

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Summary

This article explores the fundamental socio-economic transformation brought about by the development of artificial intelligence, which heralds the end of the era of work as traditionally understood. Using the metaphor of the horse manure crisis, the author illustrates the inevitability of technological change and its impact on employment structures. The text outlines a bold vision of a 'Big State' that, instead of passively observing automation, actively manages prosperity through mechanisms such as the Conditional Basic Income and the National Wealth Fund. The publication analyzes not only the economic aspects but also the profound identity and axiological crisis faced by those forced out of the labor market. It is a call to build digital sovereignty and redefine the concept of dignity in a world dominated by Big Tech algorithms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the “horse manure” metaphor in the context of AI?

It is a story about a crisis that supposedly resolves itself thanks to technological innovation, warning against naively counting on a technological miracle without implementing profound systemic and institutional changes.

What are the three stages of task appropriation by machines?

Machines first mastered manual work (robotics), then the cognitive sphere (data and document analysis), and are now entering the affective domain, encompassing relationships, emotions, and therapy.

Why might education not be enough as a response to automation?

Because the pace of technological change and human biological limitations mean that for many people the constant acquisition of new, highly specialized competences becomes unattainable or ineffective over time.

What is the concept of the “Great State” described in the text?

It is a vision of the state acting as an intelligent regulator and distributor of wealth, repairing the mechanism of income distribution in the face of the disappearance of the traditional labor market as a safety net.

What is the Citizens' Dividend?

This is a regular payment to every citizen from the profits of the National Wealth Fund, which is financed by the exploitation of shared resources such as radio frequencies and public data.

What threat to identity does the end of the work era pose?

This may lead to an axiological crisis and an existential void, because for centuries profession was the main source of a person's sense of dignity, meaning in life and social belonging.