The Metabolic Rift of Intelligence: S norm , Utility-Dignity Gaps, and the Legitimacy Window in AI Political Economy

This paper develops a political-economic framework for understanding how artificial intelligence restructures the relationship between production, contribution, and legitimacy. It argues that advanced AI is not only a productivity-enhancing technology, but also a structural force that loosens the historical coupling between human labor, distributive claims, and civic standing. The paper introduces four linked concepts. The Metabolic Rift of Intelligence names the decoupling of economic value creation from human metabolic labor as synthetic cognition becomes scalable and inexpensive. S_norm, a power-shift index building on Stiefenhofer (2025), is proposed as a diagnostic measure of the relative contribution of synthetic labor to total productive activity. The Utility-Dignity Gap captures the growing divergence between material provision and the conditions of recognition, voice, and meaningful contribution. The Legitimacy Window identifies the transitional interval in which democratic institutions may still redesign taxation, welfare, and governance before synthetic-labor dominance hardens into a new political order. Using a simple production model and a comparative governance discussion drawing on Western, Chinese, Japanese, and Singaporean sources, the paper argues that legitimacy in AI-intensive societies cannot be inferred from productivity or welfare alone. A durable AI settlement will require institutions that preserve both material security and public significance.