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Posted by u/mockingloris 15 days ago
We'll need a universal basic income (UBI) in an AI-driven world
I read on windowscentral "...We'll need a universal basic income (UBI) in an AI-driven world".

Eventually, at some point. Most of industry would have been disrupted/automated.

There should be a working group of the major players/stake holders in the space working out a model of how that would work.

I work in tech and I don't see that happening for another decade and half or so.

Care to ruminate?

└── Dey well

incoren3 · 14 days ago
Everybody forgets that AI is just a computer.

AI cannot dig ditches. AI cannot harvest crops. AI cannot frame a house, fix a car, or do anything else in the real, physical world. It will never do these things, not because of technical limitations, but because human labor is cheap and versatile.

AI can only really take the jobs of those who sit at a computer all day. Even then, I suspect that the only people who really need to worry over the long term are middle management. And good riddance to them.

But either way, there will be no UBI, so don't hold your breath. Our leadership will let us all starve in the streets the second we are no longer required.

roland35 · 14 days ago
I think robotics might be the next frontier of AI. I would not be surprised to see AI used at least at the low level for motor planning type activities like digging with a shovel...

Dead Comment

notashlynx · 14 days ago
I get where you’re coming from. I don’t think UBI is just an “AI future” thing though. Even without AI, we’ve already got a system where wealth is concentrating at the top, and AI just puts that process on fast-forward.

I’ve been lucky enough to use AI daily since ChatGPT went viral, and even from that position of privilege it’s hard not to notice how uneven the benefits are. The people who can adapt quickly or are already in high paying roles will figure out how to use it to make more money. Meanwhile, a lot of folks who could really use a safety net won’t even get the chance to learn the tools before they’re left behind.

And honestly, even AI fluent people are struggling. I know people who use AI fluently for job hunting and still can’t find work, let alone a well paying role. Even I was struggling to find a job in tech a few months ago. If that’s the situation in AI heavy markets, can't even imagine what it’s like in parts of the world where most people haven’t even heard of AI.

So yeah, I agree with you that UBI won’t happen anytime soon. But I also think that if the big players wait until AI has already “disrupted everything” to start talking seriously about it, the gap will be so wide by then that it’ll be almost impossible to close.

markus_zhang · 15 days ago
It’s a start but not good enough. We also need a sense of accomplishment, like what do we live for. I know it’s mostly a luxury these days but in an AI powered world, it might be essential to keep people going.
UK-AL · 14 days ago
Most work doesn't provide that anyway for the majority of people.
mockingloris · 14 days ago
These are very hard questions. Gives me the chills.

We forget how the scurry of the now keeps us in a frenzy and before you know, 2 decades have gone past and we're all playing catch up to the new world order - what world order? (I don't know and that scare me; [deep sigh])

└── Dey well; Be well

Python3267 · 15 days ago
We should have a wealth tax that is distributed to everyone, instead of taxing consumption. It's the most progressive tax possible, only taxing those with actual excess. It would work in an AI world, easing into everyone having the same amount of power instead of creating AI powered Oligarchs.
mockingloris · 14 days ago
That's something I am just learning about. Interesting concept though. Would need some finessing and that goes for any sort of general consensus that is reached.

└── Dey well; Be well

giantg2 · 15 days ago
We might need one eventually. If we really see a population decline in a couple decades, it's possible they could offset each other to an extent.
markus_zhang · 15 days ago
Either we go artificial womb (not sure the proper word), or take better care of parents.
revskill · 14 days ago
Nontech human is destroyed soon. To add more context, the futuristic human is the programmer who can just program everything he wants to replace current manual systems. Human is then the architect, ai is the labor.
scott88lee · 14 days ago
Pre AI, we are already in a hyper-capitalistic world. In an AI driven world coupled with robotics and possibly clean renewable energy, capitalism(Value and Value creation) is going to be broken. I envision that there will be violence when one system is overtaken by another. Hopefully, a post economic society. UBI assumes that money$ and its value, would be that unit to be exchanged in the future. No, its not going to be bitcoin either. Of course I wouldn't know what it is, but I'm looking forward to the future +

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