A new icon. Another prompt. An invitation to try AI before completing the task I opened the application to do. Each interruption is small. Together, they raise an economic question: whose time pays for the transition?
In my companion article, You Clicked Once. AI Developed a Strategy, I approached this experience through satire. Here, the question is practical: how much work does changing software create for the people using it?
After a stroke, I cannot type or navigate screens as I once did. I rely on voice input. Familiar steps help me work independently. When those steps change, I have to learn them again. A feature that appears effortless in a demonstration can require considerable effort in my daily life.
That experience is personal, not a national estimate. But learning, checking and correcting belong in an account of productivity alongside the time technology saves.
The $5,000 comparison
President Trump proposed $5,000 payments to adult U.S. citizens in September 2026, conditioned on Republicans retaining Congress. The announcement did not establish an available benefit, appropriation or implementation plan. Reporting at the time said the proposal would require congressional approval and likely cost more than $1 trillion.
A privately funded technology payment is a separate concept. It would connect compensation to defined research participation or measurable user costs rather than finance the same payment from the federal budget. The amount, eligibility and payment frequency would still have to be specified.
The calculation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported median weekly earnings of $1,204 for full-time wage and salary workers in 2025. A simplified 50-week year implies $60,200; dividing by 2,000 hours gives $30.10 an hour. This is a valuation benchmark—not every American’s wage. The BLS annual estimate is an 11-month average because October data were not collected during the federal shutdown.
Assume six hours of relevant digital use daily, with 5% consumed by added friction. Five percent is 18 minutes a day; across a year, that becomes 109.5 hours. Neither assumption is a measured national average.
At the $30.10 hourly benchmark, those 109.5 hours have an annual equivalent of $3,296. The result is material, but it is not demonstrated lost pay or a bill owed by technology companies. At the same benchmark, $5,000 would require about 166 hours annually—roughly 27 minutes daily. Benefits from learning and using AI must also be counted.
Payment requires an agreement
Paid research offers a useful comparison. UserTesting compensates participants at rates that vary by test type, duration and customer demand. Ordinary product use, however, is not automatically equivalent to an agreed research assignment. Data licensing, research payments and service credits address different contributions.
A practical pilot
A useful way to investigate the idea would be a voluntary, company-funded study. Participating users could record task time before and after interface changes, including learning, verification and recovery. Defined research work could carry an agreed payment.
Such a pilot could measure costs and benefits. It could not establish a universal entitlement.
| Concept | Funding | What remains unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Federal payment | Public financing | Congressional authorization, eligibility and implementation |
| Private research pilot | Participating companies | Tasks, compensation, measurement and tax treatment |
Private financing would avoid an equivalent direct federal payment only if there were no public subsidy or reimbursement. That is a funding distinction—not evidence of savings against today’s budget. Administration, tax effects and costs passed to customers would also matter.
For me, the underlying concern remains independence. I want to finish a task without repeatedly relearning the tools I depend on. Measuring that effort would make the discussion about productivity, compensation and a possible technology dividend more concrete.
Sources and notes
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Median weekly earnings were $1,204 in 2025,” February 27, 2026.
- Associated Press, “Trump, hoping to salvage midterms, makes a dubious pledge to give every US adult $5,000 if GOP wins,” September 10, 2026.
- UserTesting Contributor Support, payment FAQ.
- All time and dollar calculations are illustrative assumptions, not measured national averages or estimates of legal entitlement.
Editorial note: This article was developed with ChatGPT from Aref M. Bajwa’s draft, calculations and first-person observations. ChatGPT assisted with fact-checking, editing and web formatting.