[Shekelphile]

Basic income is a horrible idea. It resigns 80%+ of the population to being unproductive for life and living in abject poverty.

If AI is going to automate away all 'meaningless' low and middle class jobs then the government should be stepping in to tax the productivity gains and use the money to educate and employ those people in roles that AI can't (maybe ever) fill. Having the government pay tens of millions of people to further scientific research and innovation would be a massive boon for our society rather than the current ratcheting incrementalism and lack of innovation the pervades in our current system where innovation is always shunned unless it can provide immediate short-term gains.

Unfortunately it's moot to even think about. Nothing will change and the elites will simply let the majority of the population starve to death.