AI, jobs and the case for UBI

From my archive, written 9 December 2025. These are my impressions at the time.

If it gets worse, if companies replace even more workers with AI as it improves, they still need customers, customers won't have any money if there are no jobs due to automation, so I'm starting to think UBI might be the only way. We already have pensions, benefits and all that, I think it would come from multiple channels; government revenue and corporate tax (the ones who heavily automate and inevitably will because of all the obvious benefits) Unless something else prevents the continuing awful job market, I think it's probably inevitable; I think AI automation will wipe out the middle class; those reliant on UBI or the low paying, no ladder work they're able to get or the rich billionaires visiting space hotels for fun who are untouchable and completely out of touch with anything about the world.

I don't think we've hit the breaking point for this to happen yet, I think there's enough low paying jobs to keep people going for a while but AI is getting better so this state can't last forever. I mean lets say I'm wrong and jobs do continue at the rate they are; how? How with advanced AI improvements at the rate they are present is there even room for jobs in the way they worked 10 years ago? Every data entry, accountant or otherwise at an entry level is replaceable immediately and some stuff like content creation or logo design?

You'd be stupid not to use AI to some extent, I don't think it's the companies fault at all but it gets to a point; we have this new tech and it's no one’s fault it exists, it's impressive but we need to build a new system around it, one system could be UBI. UBI prevents full collapse, mass homelessness and destroying massive corporations, it probably wouldn't be a whole lot if it did exist but enough for a collapse; bare minimum.

I previously thought work wouldn't exist with UBI but maybe work will be optional; people who don't want to work can live but obviously restricted in their day to day life, the people who do want to work and have a skill they want to profit, maybe will rely on side gigs; a gig economy rather than strictly working at one company for the rest of their lives, you'd need to specialise in what AI can't replace, maybe dj stuff, plumbing, cleaning or generally stuff that AI fails at, I hear people say that AI will make new jobs but I honestly don't understand what it would add since it only really takes away.

Maybe most people will live using a combination of relying on UBI and occasional work wherever they can find it. I wouldn't mind this at all; it prevents people from being reliant on this imaginary 'climbing the corporate ladder' bullshit that doesn't seem to work anymore, you'd be freer to do whatever training or work you actually want to do rather than being stuck in a completely shit waste of life job.