AI ‘godfather’ says universal basic income will be needed – BBC News

12 comments

1. “The computer scientist regarded as the “godfather of artificial intelligence” says the government will have to establish a universal basic income to deal with the impact of AI on inequality.

   Professor Geoffrey Hinton told BBC Newsnight that a benefits reform giving fixed amounts of cash to every citizen would be needed because he was “very worried about AI taking lots of mundane jobs”.

   **“I was consulted by people in Downing Street and I advised them that universal basic income was a good idea,” he said.**

2. Would be an idea to restrict AI use in creative industries, what would we do with all that free time. Create or consume would be our options.

3. Heard this before. Most people were not going to work by 2000, but apparently we still need imported workers.

4. UBI would need a radical change in attitude to ‘benefits’ in the public mind, that’s generations away from happening. If ever.

   That’s before we even get to the negatives of the actual concept, that being the state is your only source of income. Complete control of peoples lives by the state is what it would lead to.

5. The justification and the rationale behind profit is what drives every facet of the economy. The bourgeoise won’t ever lessen the burden of labour on the working class because it’s threatens their position at the top of the ladder.

   Any technological advancement had and has the potential to reduce labour, but that is simply not the reason capitalism exists. 

6. Ubi can’t work. It’s a monstrocity of the idea iteself. Examples:

   1) People get Ubi. They can spend X amount of money on what they need. However, since AI is everywhere, corporates can’t sell them what they need, or it’s limited. Which means, that you will need MORE Ubi to buy stuff Y. Thus the only way to get MORE Ubi is to steal/kill/lie.

   2) People get Ubi, AI usage is limited. You still have the same problem of ending goods. Even the baseline “I want to live near beach” is a problem. The price will go UP without any control, making Ubi a useless thing straight out of the gate.

   Ubi belongs to r/antiwork and only there. Not in our real world.

7. How does being an AI expert make you an expert on economics and social behaviour?

8. Not if AI robotics and companies are adequately taxed and government mega projects implemented to increase jobs it’ll offset job loss.

   Coupled with global tariffs to protect industries.

   Robotics will eventually move economies away from consumerism based with consumerism forming only a part,

   Mega projects globally are essential to encourage growth. It’ll propel humanity forward.

   Universal income can be limited in size to still encourage employment.

9. Here’s hoping 🤞 I weirdly take an incredibly optimistic view on this matter and see it as a way of freeing me from working another 30+ years (god knows when my age cohort will be able to retire).

   I’ll take my UBI-bought Mojito on the beach please.

10. Wants the government to foot the bill for the social damage that he has caused.

11. But, welfare only if that person is a morally ‘decent’ person. If they  are a terrorist, a serial murderer or rapist, there’s no way I want any of my tax money going that way

12. I feel like UBI has a few problems:

    -If everyone’s getting money for nothing, what value does that money have?

    -If production is fully automated, then the cost is zero (i mean the entire supply chain fully automated and fed with sustainable inputs). If the cost of things is zero, why do we need money?

    It seems more sensible to change the system completely as we approach the point where human input is no longer required for human needs to be met, freeing everyone to pursue whatever interests then by adopting a system where everyone has access to whatever they need when they need it.

    The only sticking point I can see is land. This resource remains stubbornly finite and there’s already quite a lot of us on this planet. Given that large scale interplanetary migration isn’t likely to be an option any time soon, we’re going to have to work out how we resolve land ownership in a world without any need to work.

    I rather fear that the world will take a turn where UBI is used to keep people just about alive while a tiny few hoard literally all of the land and wealth, not half of it like they do now.

    The public need to be very careful what they vote for over the next couple of decades.