Universal Basic Income saves a world without work

FROM THE ARCHIVES

In 2014 a professor friend of a friend did a lecture about digital technology that mentioned what intrigued me enough to produce A World Without Work, a program he did for me about UBI, Universal Basic Income. It didn’t have an official name then and we called it the BIG, for Basic Income Guarantee. There hadn’t even been any conversation about this in the United States then, and now there are programs all over the world, more and more all the time, and all are working. I pay attention and I see it pick up more steam all the time, like wide practice is on the way.  

This was my invitation:

A World Without Work

A SUE Speaks event

Calling all good people who care about the state of the world! A World Without Work is intended to help spark a sea change in our economic system. It’s a very big deal for me, with Mighty Companions, my non-profit, funding it so it can be free to participants, and the Psychology Department of Loyola Marymount University sponsoring it. L.A. people who would like to part of an activist community are welcome.

Our evening will be built around a talk about the massive shift our economic system will have to make, when, due to advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and 3D printing there won’t be enough jobs. Our speaker, Prof. Richard Gilbert, who recently produced a conference on the personal and cultural impact of leading edge digital technology, will make our precarious situation clear.

Professor Gilbert will present his advocacy for guaranteed income as the solution. Over dessert, we’ll be in small groups for dialogue and then convene for a robust conversation that Richard Gilbert will anchor.  

Something went wrong with our video coverage of the first part of the talk and in the version we edited I’m on camera going over what was missing, but I’m not passing the first part along to you. The details at the beginning come back in as you get sold on how well UBI would work. The video is keyed to start about 13 minutes into the talk, which leaves 10 minutes that will give you a great foundation for how UBI is a very good idea.

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