As AI becomes a bigger and bigger part of our lives, the threat of job automation becomes an increasing possibility for many people. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about universal basic income, the experimental form of welfare distribution that gives unconditional cash payments to people so that they can meet their basic needs. Tech billionaires like Sam Altman say they’re big fans of UBI and claim that it could solve the problem of mass job displacement when robots and software take over much of our economy.
Let’s put aside Sam’s visions of a dystopian future; UBI might just be a great idea for our country to try, anyway. There have been many, many UBI pilot programs over the past few decades, and every time they’re conducted, they make the people who receive payments happier and healthier. UBI is an idea with a long history, stretching back decades. Let’s take a quick look back at some of the experiments that have been run and the impact that they’ve had.
