A Check for the Future? UBI Reenters the AI Conversation

📉 Job Loss is No Longer a Theory

Artificial Intelligence is no longer an abstract concern — it’s actively eliminating jobs. According to a new MIT study, AI is already capable of replacing nearly 12% of the U.S. workforce, affecting over $1.2 trillion in wages across finance, healthcare, and professional services[English] AI’s job shake-up is ….

Add to that Amazon’s intent to automate 75% of its warehouse operations — affecting over 600,000 jobs — and layoffs from tech giants like Salesforce, Walmart, UPS, and Paramount… and suddenly, the AI disruption is very real.

🔍 Goldman Sachs estimates 6–7% of the U.S. workforce could be displaced, while McKinsey suggests up to 40% of jobs might be automated by 2030. That’s more than half of all U.S. work hours — both manual and cognitive — potentially replaced by machines[English] AI’s job shake-up is ….

💸 Enter UBI: From Fringe Idea to Fiscal Reality

In 2020, then-presidential candidate Andrew Yang popularised Universal Basic Income (UBI) through his “Freedom Dividend”: $1,000 per month to every American adult, no strings attached.

At the time, critics called it utopian.

Now? Cook County, Illinois — home to Chicago — just approved a $7.5M guaranteed income programme following a successful pilot. That pilot gave 3,200 households $500/month for two years. The results?

• 94% used the money for emergencies.

• 75% reported increased financial security.

• 70% said their mental health improved[English] AI’s job shake-up is ….

Whether UBI is “realistic” is no longer just a question for think tanks — it’s happening in real cities, with real results.

🧾 But Who Pays?

One major concern around UBI remains funding. Cook County’s property tax spike — up to 133% in some areas — has led to pushback from institutions like the Illinois Policy Institute, which claims UBI leads to lower workforce participation and less experience over time[English] AI’s job shake-up is ….

However, as Yang points out, AI companies like Anthropic are now saying the quiet part out loud. CEO Dario Amodei recently admitted: “You should tax us.”

And why not? AI companies are capitalising on data we’ve all provided — knowingly or not. That data is now worth trillions. Taxing AI firms could generate the revenue needed to support displaced workers.

As Yang puts it: “If U.S. GDP is $85,000 per person, giving $12,000 back isn’t a radical idea — it’s modest.”

🛠️ Capitalism, but for Everyone?

Yang argues that UBI isn’t socialism. It’s a form of capitalism that works for a post-AI economy. When people lose their jobs, they also lose their ability to spend, invest, or participate in the economy — and the consequences can be radicalisation, mental health issues, or worse.

UBI aims to buffer that blow, helping people find new purpose and preventing the destabilisation of consumer-driven societies.

But UBI isn’t a silver bullet. Yang emphasises that money alone isn’t enough. People still need structure, purpose, and community — things traditional jobs once provided.

🧮 99% Unemployment?

The transcript references futurist Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, who provocatively predicted 99% unemployment within five years. While Yang doesn’t go that far, he sees 30–40 million job losses in the U.S. as a “realistic” outcome within the next decade[English] AI’s job shake-up is ….

If we don't act, the result could be “devastating” for millions of families and communities.

💡 FINAL THOUGHTS

Universal Basic Income is no longer a sci-fi concept — it’s a serious economic proposal gaining momentum in a world reshaped by AI. The debate is no longer “if” people will lose their jobs — it’s how quickly… and how we help them recover.

As AI continues to redefine productivity, value, and labour itself, the conversation around redistribution must become just as innovative as the technologies causing the disruption.

UBI might not be the final answer — but it may be the first step toward an economy that doesn’t leave millions behind.

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