TIME op-ed: AI Should Give Rise to an Ownership Economy

Lynn Forester de Rothschild’s latest op-ed for TIME makes the case that as AI reshapes how our economy creates value, it’s time to rethink who shares in that value.

For decades, wealth in the U.S. has accumulated far faster in assets than in wages. Now, as artificial intelligence transforms productivity and profit across every sector, Council for Inclusive Capitalism Founder and CEO Lynn Forester de Rothschild argues in a new op-ed for TIME that we have a rare opportunity to change that pattern — not by waiting for growth to “trickle down,” but by building ownership into the system from the outset.

“To achieve the American Dream, it is no longer enough to work from nine to five. For too many years, wealth has primarily accumulated in assets, rather than in wages.”

That’s the starting point for what Lynn calls the ownership economy — a goal that a range of voices, from different vantage points, are increasingly converging on. In his encyclical on AI and the human person, Pope Leo XIV has called for economic growth to be inclusive “from the outset,” rather than trickling down over time. Separately, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink argued in his 2026 letter to investors that as AI drives growth in capital markets, ownership must broaden as well.

A shift already underway

The op-ed points to real momentum already taking shape — including Samsung’s decision to share 10.5% of profits from its AI chip business with employees, a move followed by an 8% jump in the company’s stock price, signaling new investor interest in sharing the gains of AI and expanding broad-based ownership. It’s one of several examples Lynn cites, from federal proposals to a growth in employee ownership programs among American employers.

Why this matters for Inclusive Capitalism

This is more than a policy debate — it’s a test of whether the principles at the core of Inclusive Capitalism (fairness, equity, and opportunity) can be built directly into how the AI economy takes shape. As Lynn writes, the goal is a new social contract between business and society, one where corporate profit and economic participation reinforce each other rather than pull apart.

Read Lynn’s full op-ed on TIME: https://time.com/article/2026/07/15/ai-should-give-rise-to-an-ownership-economy/