Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Sustainability Of Social Security Systems: The Technological Unemployment Premium Proposal
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation for labour markets and the financial sustainability of contribution-based social security systems. Using a qualitative research design based on an integrative literature review and thematic synthesis, the study examines how AI-driven labour displacement may affect contribution-based social security financing. The analysis suggests that automation can generate substantial productivity gains, but may also reduce insured employment and weaken contribution revenues when displacement effects are sufficiently strong and persistent. In response to this financing risk, the study develops the Technological Unemployment Premium, a conceptual mechanism linked to the measurable employment effects of automation rather than to the technology itself. Unlike conventional robot tax proposals and other technology-based financing approaches, the proposed framework links potential contribution liability to measurable reductions in insured employment or contribution-generating payroll attributable to automation and outlines preliminary institutional responsibilities, transparent and verifiable assessment criteria, and sector-specific implementation considerations. The study extends the emerging literature on automation and social security financing by showing how a financing response could be tied to measurable labour displacement and the resulting erosion of the contribution base.
Source: Çalışma ve Toplum
DOI: 10.54752/ct.1968160
Author: Semih Erdoğdu
Language: Turkish
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7223307829