A personal journey through the heart of global inequality and a glimpse at a possible solution
Elon Musk said at the Bletchley Park summit, “no job is needed” due to the development of AI, and that a job can be for “personal satisfaction.”.
The Reality We Can’t Ignore
Walking through the streets of France recently, my heart sank at what I saw. A young woman, probably no more than 20, sat huddled in a doorway, a cardboard sign asking for food. Next to her, a teenage boy shuffled through a garbage bin looking for anything useful. These aren’t isolated cases—they’re becoming all too common.
What’s most shocking is how young many of these people are now. These aren’t just the stereotypical homeless people many imagine. They’re young adults who should be starting their careers, students who should be focusing on their education, and families with small children who should have a roof over their heads.
A Tale of Two Worlds
Our world has become a place of extreme contrasts. In one neighbourhood, people argue about which luxury car to buy or which expensive restaurant to try next. In another neighbourhood just a few miles away, families struggle to put food on the table.
Let me paint you a picture of how crazy this has become:
- Every day, hotels and restaurants throw away enough food to feed entire communities
- While some people spend thousands on designer watches, others can’t afford basic medicine
- As luxury apartments sit empty as “investment properties,” families sleep in their cars
- While some worry about which vacation home to visit, others worry about keeping their only home
The Numbers That Should Shame Us
Here’s what makes this even more outrageous:
- Globally, we produce enough food to feed 10 billion people
- Yet nearly 700 million people go hungry every day
- in 2022 alone, About 150 million children did not get enough calories to grow normally
- Meanwhile, roughly one-third of all food produced goes to waste
Why Things Are Getting Worse
The gap between rich and poor isn’t just staying the same—it’s getting bigger. And now we’re facing a new challenge: artificial intelligence. AI is set to eliminate millions of jobs in the next decade. Truck drivers, office workers, retail staff, customer service representatives—many of these jobs could disappear.
Some people say, “Well, they can just learn new skills and find different jobs.” But here’s the reality: AI is advancing so quickly that it’s taking over new jobs faster than people can retrain for them.
A Solution on the Horizon?
But what if we could use this AI revolution to actually solve poverty? This is where Universal Basic Income (UBI) comes in.
What is Universal Basic Income?
Think of UBI as a salary for being human. It’s pretty simple:
- Every adult gets a fixed amount of money each month
- No questions asked
- No conditions
- No paperwork
- Enough money to live with dignity, not just survive
How Would This Work?
Let’s break it down in simple terms:
Everyone Gets Basic Security: Enough money for food, housing, and basic needs
AI Does More Work: As AI takes over more jobs, it creates more wealth
Wealth Gets Shared: Instead of all that AI-created wealth going to big companies, it gets distributed
People Can Choose: Want to work more? Great! Want to study? Go ahead! Want to start a business? Now you can!
Real Examples That Show It Works
This isn’t just a dream – it’s already being tested.
- In Finland, people who got basic income became happier and healthier
- In California, people who received guaranteed money actually worked more, not less
Real-World Success: The Alaska Story
Want proof that UBI can work? Look no further than Alaska. They’ve been doing something amazing for over 40 years, and it’s working beautifully.
How Alaska Makes It Work
Since 1982, every single person in Alaska gets money from the state each year. It’s called the Alaska Permanent Fund, and it’s pretty clever. Here’s how it works:
- The state takes money from oil and mining companies
- This money goes into a special fund
- Every year, they share this money with everyone who lives there
- No strings attached, no questions asked
Show Me The Money
The amount changes each year based on oil prices:
- Usually, people get between $1,000 and $3,000
- In 2021, it was $1,114
- In 2022, with oil prices shooting up, everyone got $3,284!
But Does It Make People Lazy?
This is where it gets really interesting. Critics always say, “If you give people free money, they’ll stop working.” But guess what? That’s not what happened at all.
Professor Ioana Marinescu from Penn School of Social Policy and Practice studied this extensively, and what she found was eye-opening:
- Alaskans work just as much as people in similar states
- Local businesses actually do better
- Coffee shops, stores, and restaurants see more customers
- These businesses then hire more people
- The whole economy gets stronger
The Ripple Effect
Think about what happens when everyone in a community suddenly has extra money:
- People spend more at local businesses
- Businesses hire more workers
- Those workers spend money too
- The whole community gets richer
- And nobody had to work less!
What This Means For UBI
Alaska’s success shows us something crucial: giving people money doesn’t make them lazy. Instead, it:
- Creates economic stability
- Helps local businesses thrive
- Keeps money flowing in the community
- Proves that UBI can work on a large scale
- Shows that everyone benefits, not just the recipients
And remember—Alaska’s programme has survived through Republican and Democratic governors, economic booms and busts, and four decades of change. If it can work there, why not everywhere?
Source:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/06/children-care-guaranteed-income/
The Bigger Picture: Where We’re Headed
The famous scientist Michio Kaku talks about how civilizations evolve through different stages. Right now, we’re at a crucial point – moving from a divided world (Type 0) to a unified world (Type 1). This transition is always challenging, but it’s necessary for survival.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
Think about this:
- AI and especially robotics, is going to change everything about how we work
- Climate change is forcing us to rethink how we live
- Inequality is causing social unrest everywhere
- Young people are losing hope in the future
What Could Life Look Like?
Imagine a world where:
- No child goes to bed hungry
- No one has to choose between medicine and food
- Young people can pursue their dreams instead of just surviving
- Elderly people don’t have to work until they die
- Parents can spend time with their kids instead of working three jobs
The Arguments Against It (And Why They’re Wrong)
Some people say:
“People will get lazy”
- Actually, studies show people work and create more when they’re not stressed about survival
“We can’t afford it”
- We spend trillions on war and corporate subsidies. It’s about choices, not money
“It’s socialism”
- It’s actually about giving everyone a fair chance in a capitalist system
The Real Question
The real question isn’t whether we can afford Universal Basic Income. The real question is: can we afford not to try it?
Think about it:
- How much does poverty cost us in healthcare?
- How much does inequality cost us in crime?
- How much human potential do we waste?
- How many brilliant minds never get a chance because they’re too busy surviving?
What We Can Do
Learn More: Understand how UBI and AI could work together
Spread the Word: Share this information with others
Support Pilot Programmes: Back UBI experiments in your area
Vote: Support politicians who understand these issues
Speak Up: When you see waste and inequality, say something
A Personal Note
Every time I see a young person begging for food, or a family struggling to survive, I think about how unnecessary this all is. We have the resources. We have the technology. We have everything we need to end poverty.
What we need now is the will to make it happen.
Looking Forward
We’re at a crossroads. AI is coming, whether we like it or not. We can let it make inequality worse, or we can use it to finally fix our broken system.
The choice is ours. But for the millions of people struggling right now—the young people I see on the streets, the families choosing between food and rent, the elderly people who can’t afford their medicine—time is running out.
We have a chance to create a world where poverty is a thing of the past. Where everyone has a chance to succeed. Where no one has to beg for food while others throw it away.
Isn’t that a world worth fighting for?
Conclusion
The combination of AI and Universal Basic Income might sound like science fiction. But so did smartphones just 20 years ago. The future is coming faster than we think. The only question is: will we use it to make the world better for everyone, or will we let it make things worse?
The choice is ours. The time is now.
What do you think? Have you seen poverty increasing in your area? What solutions do you think might work? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.