I'm sitting here, "dialoguing" with ChatGPT o3, and I can't help but think about how artificial intelligence is changing the rules of the game: not with an explosion, but with a silent and inexorable whisper. OpenAI has just released this model that, according to many experts, represents a significant leap towards what we call Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
It's not perfect, sure, but it's qualitatively different from its predecessors. I find myself testing it on questions of philosophy, literature, post-work economics, even personal health questions. And each time, the same disturbing feeling: it's not so much the speed or intelligence of ChatGPT o3 that impresses me, but the sudden clarity with which I see the future of the global economy transforming before my eyes.
Scattered thoughts on a non-human intelligence
I propose to you a few fragmented reflections, I admit. Thoughts that overlap as I observe this technology at work. The ChatGPT o3 model is not only more fast or more intelligent of GPT-4.5; it is qualitatively different, with network effects and turning points that make it useful for a wider range of tasks beyond simple conversation.
And no, it is not an alien intelligence. Works such as the text of Max Tegmark “Life 3.0” (I recommend it to you) helped me better understand the phenomenon: o3 operates in the same mathematical and physical environment as humans, with a cognitive horizon that goes beyond, but does not supplant, our capabilities.
I ask myself more and more often: is this really AGI? Not yet, but we are getting closer by leaps and bounds. The training curve for these models follows an exponential trend, with each new generation being smarter and faster than the previous one. And the next o4? Its capabilities are impossible to predict.
ChatGPT o3, the economic future that no one was ready to face
Now comes the part that keeps me up at night: the post-work economy. These are no longer abstract theories; someone who knows a lot about AI, Dario Amodei by Anthropic, he talks about it often. We are observing the first tectonic movements of this change.
But what does “post-work economy” mean? Imagine a world where more and more jobs are done by machines. Not just manual labor, but also the intellectual ones: lawyers, doctors, programmers, even artists. In this scenario, how do we distribute wealth? If until now the salary was the main way, what happens when salaries are scarce because human labor is needed less and less?
This is where what experts call “economic agency index“. Simply put, it measures how much control we have over our economic destiny. It is made up of three elements: how much we earn by working (salaries), how much we get from what we own (property, investments), and how much we receive from the State or other institutions (subsidies, basic income).
ChatGPT o3 analyzed mountains of economic data and helped me understand this index in a matter of minutes. And here comes the incredible thing: while the AI was processing information at breakneck speed, I was struggling to keep up. It's as if my brain had become the "bottleneck" of the process: a truly alienating experience.
Decide Local, Think Global
In my confused reflections, a concept keeps coming back to me: “subsidiarity”. It seems complicated, but it is simple: Decisions should be made as close as possible to those who suffer the consequences.
Think about it: who knows the problems of a territory best? Those who live there. The idea is therefore to let local communities decide for themselves, without impositions from above. It's like a form of collective intelligence: each territory makes the best choices for itself, and the overall system works better without centralized control.
In practice, I imagine small communities collectively investing in resources such as solar panels, data centers, ultra-fast internet connections. These infrastructures would increase the “collective purchasing power” of the community: in essence, they would make everyone a little richer (no, I'm not Prodi and I'm not talking about the Euro, don't mimic me with the meme) and attract talented people.
It would be a concrete way to prepare ourselves for a future where traditional work will be increasingly rare and we will have to find new ways to distribute wealth and give meaning to our lives.
ChatGPT o3, a future of opportunity or dependency?
In summary, I can't help but ask myself the classic question: is ChatGPT o3 an opportunity or a threat? As always, I believe both. If used as a simple cognitive crutch, we risk becoming dependent without internalizing mental models and knowledge. But if we use it as a learning accelerator, we can expand, and significantly, our capabilities.
AI and robotics could eliminate or reduce traditional jobs in programming, law, and medicine, but they will also create new opportunities in emerging areas such as content creation and social interaction.
Socializing natural resources in underutilized inland areas could encourage local investments in sustainable practices and circular economies, promoting environmental conservation and long-term productivity.
Ultimately, my most recurring thought is this: the post-work economy may be theoretically solved, but its practical application remains uncertain and requires further exploration. We are at the dawn of something entirely new, and ChatGPT o3 is just the beginning of this journey towards a future we still struggle to imagine.
But we must dare to imagine it.
