Knowledge is a Commodity
Knowledge is power commodity.
We live in a time where knowledge is no longer a rare, powerful asset—it’s widely available and often free. In this era, knowledge workers must reinvent themselves to stay relevant.
How We Got Here
Not too long ago, there was little connection between the talents or knowledge you possessed and the wealth you could achieve. If you were born into wealth, you remained wealthy. If you were born a peasant, you stayed poor. Riches were determined by birth, not by talent or knowledge. Society was divided into kings and servants, lords and peasants, masters and slaves.
The modern age ushered in a new demand for professionals—doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other knowledge workers—who spent years acquiring specialized knowledge. A new hierarchy emerged, where wealth was no longer tied to birthplace but to how much knowledge one could accumulate. The more expertise you gained, the more you could charge for your services. A new graduate lawyer couldn’t command the same fees as a lawyer with 30 years of experience. The class system evolved, shifting from birthright to knowledge. The “American Dream” narrative said that if you studied hard enough, you could charge more for your expertise and become wealthy. But now, this dream is being disrupted.
The Internet and the Freedom of Knowledge
Knowledge was once locked behind the gates of libraries, academia, and private circles. It was shared only among those who could afford the time and money to acquire it. Even with the new opportunities knowledge provided, few could truly capitalize on it.
Then came the internet, revolutionizing access to information. No longer did you need a library card to read a book, or thousands of dollars to listen to a Stanford lecture. Now, you can read online or watch entire courses for free on platforms like YouTube. The internet made knowledge accessible to everyone. It became a global equalizer, allowing people across the world to learn and share knowledge freely. With time and dedication, anyone could gain the knowledge they needed to succeed. Companies like Google indexed this vast pool of knowledge, making it easy to access and acquire.
This rise in knowledge accessibility created today’s “white-collar” class. Lawyers, engineers, and other professionals could charge high fees because they invested time to gain knowledge that, while available to everyone, required specialization to master.
The Third Wave – AI
While the internet democratized knowledge, people still had to invest time to learn. But now, AI, and specifically large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, have ushered in a third and perhaps final wave of knowledge commodification.
After decades of humans documenting, sharing, and indexing knowledge online, AI now processes this information for us, becoming the expert in our place. You no longer need to pay hundreds of dollars to a lawyer who studied the same materials—you can simply ask ChatGPT. You no longer need to hire an engineer to build software—AI can do it faster and cheaper.
This shift places an expert in every field directly in our pockets, always available, capable of performing tasks traditionally reserved for knowledge workers. AI can draft legal documents, write code, author books, and perform any intellectual task at a fraction of the time and cost. In the past, people needed to invest years to become experts, but now, AI provides that expertise instantly. If time equals knowledge, and knowledge equals money, then the time to acquire knowledge has dropped to zero—and the cost has dropped to free. Open-source models like LLaMA already achieve top-level performance, rivaling PhD-level professionals in many fields. Knowledge workers who spent years honing their expertise are quickly becoming obsolete. Knowledge is now a commodity available to everyone on demand.
What’s Next?
So, what is the value of knowledge workers in this new era? Why should anyone spend years acquiring expertise when open-source LLMs can outperform them, faster and cheaper? In a world where money was once a reflection of birthright and then of knowledge, what will it reflect next?
Some argue for universal basic income; others claim money itself may lose its significance. While the future remains uncertain, one thing is clear: knowledge workers must adapt and reinvent themselves to remain relevant in this rapidly changing landscape.