Beyond labor: Redefining human value in an AI-driven post-labor society through socially-assessed Personalized Time Value (PTV) systems

• Identifies 'Existential Obsolescence' as a core psychological crisis beyond economic displacement in AI-driven automation. • Establishes theoretical limitations of UBI through Self-Determination Theory framework (autonomy, competence, relatedness). • Proposes eight-dimension PTV framework with explicit selection criteria grounded in psychological literature. • Introduces Temporal Commitment Function based on trust accumulation research, addressing age-equity concerns. • Provides comparative gap analysis of time-based systems including comparative examination of LETS decline patterns. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and robotics raises not only concerns of economic displacement but also a deeper challenge to processes of human value recognition. As intelligent systems increasingly perform cognitive and physical tasks, individuals may face what this paper terms Existential Obsolescence—comprising perceived dispensability, competence recognition deficit, and purpose disruption. Beyond automation anxiety, Existential Obsolescence captures a broader erosion of meaning and recognition. This challenge is compounded by structural limitations of productivity- and labor-centered monetary valuation, which presuppose scarcity and struggle to recognize meaningful contributions under conditions of technological abundance. Existing policy responses such as Universal Basic Income address material security but risk leaving unmet the psychological needs for competence recognition and social relatedness emphasized by Self-Determination Theory. In response, this paper proposes Personalized Time Value (PTV) grounded in time sovereignty—the capacity to autonomously invest one’s finite time in meaningful, socially recognized activities. PTV is situated within a three-tier hybrid economic framework, operating as a complementary layer alongside redistributive and market mechanisms. Drawing on the Capability Approach, Self-Determination Theory, and Recognition Theory, PTV conceptualizes socially recognized contribution through eight interpersonal dimensions grounded in established psychological theory. The framework further distinguishes between direct relational exchange and ledger-based exchange architectures, enabling relational authenticity and institutional scalability. A quality-weighted valuation model formalizes this logic, with parameters presented illustratively rather than prescriptively. Overall, this paper positions PTV as a meaning-oriented complementary infrastructure for addressing recognition deficits in potential post-labor futures, and outlines a research agenda for empirical validation.