Universal Basic Illusion
The fear of AI causing irreparable mass unemployment is well documented. What is completely absent from all conferences, forums, discussions, debates, and fireside conversations is a viable proposal on how to face this threat. Except for UBI, that is. And there's no greater cause for concern on this topic, to say the least. UBI is both a mirage and a vial overflowing with poison—particularly when mixed with a corporatist economy.
Milton Friedman convincingly argued that economic freedom is a prerequisite for political freedom and that government control leads to coercion and control over people’s lives. Ludwig von Mises, another intellectual giant, agreed. To add insult to injury, according to Daron Acemoglu, 2024 “Nobel Prize in economics”, UBI reeks of “bread and circus” and by defusing discontent and mollifying the masses, political agency is reduced. Furthermore, work is a basis for belonging and a parasitic existence is linked to feelings of isolation and hopelessness, and loss of self-esteem. I suggest to peruse the Journal of Public Health Research and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, around the time of the COVID lockdowns, for in-depth studies in this respect.
And—heavens above—it’s not like we’re talking rocket science here, to be frank. Overcoming adversity is the root of resilience. For those seeking to understand the human spirit in the face of hardship, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath captures endurance through collective struggle, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning reveals the power of purpose, and the Bible offers a timeless prayer for balance in Proverbs 30:8-9: “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” These works remind us that resilience is not just enduring adversity but finding meaning, balance, and humility along the way.
If you want to destroy a human being, give a person no other choice but idleness. Corner the individual into a forced inactivity where there is no source of accomplishment through honest work and providing for the family. Many dreams are made of bucolic scenes where life goes by oil painting, writing poetry, and seeing beautiful sunsets. The reality, though, is that a future of parasitic existence in a 15-minute city will be very, very close to the picture painted by Harari in which humans are kept afloat via computer games and drugs.
Now, picture this: a demoralized population face to face with an almighty corporate government. Big tech and politicians, armed with infallible AI-powered surveillance, doing as they please because people have lost their grit, their hunger for serious engagement with civic life, and the betterment of their communities. “Oh, you don’t like what we’re doing, Johnny boy? We will cut your UBI, deny you healthcare, banking service, strolls in the park, and whatnot.” Then you will become a pariah. I paint a grim picture, and extreme one, but only to illustrate the point: UBI is a double-edged sword. It may work. It may not. So far, the experiments with UBI have all failed miserably because their aim has been to test if granting people with an UBI would spur them to search for a job. But what if there are no jobs to apply to?
Maybe, just maybe, there is no other option than UBI. Most likely, though, it is an illusion that would do more harm than good.
