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UK Minister Says Universal Basic Income May Be Needed for AI

UK Minister Says Universal Basic Income May Be Needed for AI

Is UBI a proven solution for AI-driven job loss or an expensive repeat of misplaced Industrial Revolution fears?
UK Minister Says Universal Basic Income May Be Needed for AI
Above: ason Stockwood at Grimsby Town Hall on May 2, 2025, in Grimsby, England. Image credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

The Spin

Universal Basic Income isn't some far-fetched fantasy — Australia already proved it works during COVID when millions received obligation-free payments that slashed poverty rates from 67% to 7%. Research across 160 global experiments shows UBI decreases infant mortality and family violence while boosting economic activity, and with AI poised to eliminate most jobs, establishing this safety net now willwould allow faster automation and ensure money keeps circulating through the economy.

The Industrial Revolution sparked identical fears about mass unemployment two centuries ago, yet those disruptions proved temporary, as creative destruction replaced obsolete industries with far more productive ones. AI represents the same pattern of progress, not permanent joblessness, and running an expensive universal payment system alongside existing welfare would be fiscally untenable while creating weaker work incentives than targeted alternatives like negative income tax.

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 30% chance that five years after AGI, there will be universal basic income, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0