Decision Authority Economy: A Definitional Framework for AI-Mediated Economic Systems

This paper introduces the Decision Authority Economy (DAE) as a conceptual framework for understanding economic systems increasingly structured by AI-mediated decision processes. The framework argues that control over decision processes—rather than information, attention, or intent—emerges as a primary basis of value creation, coordination, and competition in AI-mediated environments. Building on prior work on decision structuring and AI-mediated systems, the paper defines decision authority as a distinct economic resource and positions the Decision Mediation Layer (DML) as the operational mechanism through which decision authority is structured, filtered, and executed within computational systems. This work contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding AI-mediated economic systems, decision authority, platform infrastructures, and the transformation of human-centered decision environments.