BIEN
Basic income was always justified because it is a foundation for human flourishing. Whether the economy is booming or falling does not change that principle. The rise of AI is compounding the justification because it will make an economy that provides vast wealth to some while alienating the majority.
Basic income advocates have always had to be careful with arguments related to automation. During the 2020 Democratic primary debates, I remember thinking candidate Andrew Yang was too early using automation as a justification for UBI. More importantly, framing basic income in this way distracts from the philosophical justification.
The strongest case for basic income never needed a prediction that paid work would vanish, and that caution was right.
But caution is not denial. At some point, refusing to update becomes its own kind of hype in the opposite direction.
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