Futurology

His final message is clear: "AI could double or triple productivity, but if we don't redesign how gains are distributed, we'll see even more concentration of wealth and power. Universal Basic Income isn't a utopian dream—it's a practical response to the world we're entering."

Here's the thing I don't like about UBI though.

If the govt pays out, say 500 bucks every week into my account as part of a UBI payment, what stops landlords from just increasing their rent, or supermarkets and local utility monopolies from raising their prices just because they can?

At that point, you're back to square one, and still under threat of being homeless and starving just because you've been priced out of the market. Additionally, UBI will only exacerbate the problem of wealth inequality, as while poorer families will be using the payments to pay for necessities they need to survive, wealthier families who straight up don't need the extra help will just use it to accumulate and horde more assets, on top of receiving increased profits from all the poorer families putting their entire UBI payments towards affording their increased prices.

What we should be doing instead, is providing universal basic services. Free housing, food, water, electricity, transport, healthcare, education, guaranteed work, and so on. Everything you need to live a basic subsistence, provided at little to no cost to everyone who needs it with no strings attached. From there, if you want additional luxuries like a bigger house, vacations abroad, etc, then you would need to work, but you won't be fucked if there happens to be no work going around.

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