Universal basic income in the future

[Jenny A]

So I've been spending a ton of time researching what the future will be like. It's fascinating as fuck. I noticed there was a topic made about UBI less than 30 days ago, but I don't think there was enough discussion about technology and A.I., so I want to focus on that.

I think that western countries, US included, should be experimenting with the implementation of a universal basic income within the next 10 to 15 years because within 50 years we're going to see an unemployment rate so high it's going to fundamentally transform our economics and society as a whole. A.I. is advancing at such a rate that entire sectors will be gone and very few jobs, including white collar jobs, will be secure.



It's easy to call the unemployed lazy and entitled now, but how will people live when they won't be qualified for ANY of the jobs that exist? An undergraduate degree will certainly be a necessity by 2050. The hard labor jobs that keep a large portion of this country employed will be fully automated. When unemployment hits 30, 40 percent, the government is obligated to do something. Otherwise it will only get worse.

I don't know exactly how much a guaranteed income for all would be, but I know UBI has been experimented with around the world (usually with sample sizes below 10,000) and have been successful. But we should figure it out sooner rather than later.

This seems like a far left, radical idea even for the most economically liberal (progressive) countries let alone the US. But I think if we implemented a guaranteed income while eliminating several other entitlement programs, I think it could get bipartisan support. Either way I think it's inevitable. We just need to get the ball rolling BEFORE A.I. causes a global crisis.

I think you don't understand either economics or how little we know of the future. If you had explained to someone a hundred years ago that less than 4% of the population would be engaged in agricultural they would have predicted 90% unemployment. Yet here we are living massively better with all kinds of goods and entertainment unimaginable 100 years ago. That is because of two misunderstandings, first economics is not a zero sum game and second we are horrible at predicting the future. I don't know what will replace jobs taken by robots, but I'm optimistic that there will be jobs creating whatever robots cannot, largely things we haven't even imagined yet. The only thing that might stop it is universal income.

You see people invent out of necessity. Take away the necessity and we might end progress.