Imagine a world where local communities, or collectives, manage their resources and energy flows autonomously, guided by shared values and cultural priorities. In this vision, technology doesn’t dominate; it empowers. Large Language Models (LLMs) become the cooperative tools of a post-capitalist society, enabling coordination without markets, competition, or exploitation.
The Problem with Today’s Systems
Global economic systems often reduce communities to abstract units in a market, prioritizing profit over people and the planet. This erodes local autonomy and homogenizes culture. Coordination between communities happens through markets or centralized bureaucracies—systems ill-suited to fostering equity and sustainability.
Enter LLM-Based Local Economies
What if every collective had its own AI-powered system to manage its “local economy”? An LLM tailored to their values, culture, and needs could:
- Track resources like food, energy, and materials.
- Help balance sustainability with the well-being of the community.
- Suggest equitable ways to share surpluses or meet shortages.
This is not some top-down AI dystopia. These systems would work collaboratively with human decision-makers, acting as facilitators and record-keepers rather than authoritarian managers.
Coordination Without Markets
As collectives grow and interact, they need a way to “speak the same language” while respecting their differences. This is where cutting-edge AI techniques like shared embedding spaces come into play. Collectives can exchange information through aligned representations, enabling them to:
- Understand each other’s needs and surpluses.
- Coordinate directly without relying on price signals or monetary transactions.
- Respect local cultures while forming networks of solidarity.
It’s like having a universal translator for economies—one that works on principles of cooperation rather than competition.
Federation Without Homogenization
This approach allows for lateral growth. Collectives can join federations where:
- Each maintains its autonomy and cultural identity.
- Shared AI systems align their resource flows for mutual benefit.
- Coordination scales naturally, without centralized control.
This is a vision of growth through connection, not conquest.
How We Start
Building such a system starts small:
- Prototype Local Systems: Using open-source AI, we can simulate resource flows and decision-making in a hypothetical collective.
- Simulate Coordination: Experiment with how two or more collectives might align their economic activity without imposing one’s values on the other.
- Scale Thoughtfully: Gradually integrate these systems into real-world cooperatives, learning from their unique needs and priorities.
Why It Matters
This vision isn’t just about technology; it’s about transforming the way we live and work together. It’s a move away from systems that commodify everything toward ones that prioritize care, equity, and sustainability. By blending cutting-edge AI with timeless values of cooperation and mutual aid, we can imagine—and build—a world beyond capitalism.