Shared Prosperity in the Age of Technology

 As AI and robotics reshape our world, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The promise of increased productivity and efficiency is undeniable, yet the threat of job displacement looms over us. While I have spoken about these technologies being net producers of jobs, there will be trades and communities that suffer. In this delicate balance, we must consider the fate of millions who may face the risk of being left behind

The rise of AI and robotics heralds a new era, one where mundane tasks are automated and the very fabric of work undergoes transformation. While some workers can pivot toward knowledge-based roles, others face insurmountable barriers. Imagine the farmer whose livelihood depends on tilling the soil, or the factory worker whose hands have shaped our industrial landscape. These individuals cannot merely retrain their skills which are deeply rooted in tradition and history.

In rural communities the impact is stark, as automation threatens to render entire professions obsolete. The tractor replaces the plow, the assembly line yields to robotic arms, and the once-vibrant textile mills fall silent. For these souls, the prospect of retraining is akin to asking a fish to climb a tree. Their dignity, their sense of purpose and all that they have every known hangs in the balance. Skills have been passed down from generation to generation and they simply cannot do anything else.

Let us delve even further, where AI feeds on our collective wisdom. It digests our texts, absorbs our conversations, and deciphers our intentions. But who fuels this insatiable appetite? We do. Our data - the raw material of the digital age - fuels the algorithms that drive progress. Big tech corporations amass fortunes by harnessing our clicks, our queries and by tracking our every move online, feeding their systems with greater amounts of data we generate.

Here lies the dilemma. If AI thrives on our knowledge, should we not share in its prosperity? The dividends of this new technology capital should not accrue solely to the elite. A fair exchange demands that the public, the unwitting contributors, receive their due. I feel it is time to revisit the concept of universal basic income (UBI) as a pragmatic solution - one that transcends mere economics and speaks to our shared humanity. UBI becomes not a handout but a rightful claim - a dividend for our unwitting role in AI’s ascent.

Many years ago, I spoke about UBI as a moral imperative and a safety net in my book ‘Brave Knowledge World’, a guaranteed income that shields the vulnerable from the tsunami of automation. Let us now recognize that our data and our collective wisdom is the currency of the digital age. While I strongly encourage everyone to retrain and become knowledge workers, there will be those that will be simply unable to make the shift into the digital economy.

In the grand theater of progress, let us not forget those players that end up left behind. The farmer, the weaver and the fisherman deserve a role in the unfolding future and must not be swept under the carpet as a sort of collateral damage due to technological progress.

I don’t see UBI as a charity, I see it is a form of justice. As AI evolves, let us ensure that its blessings reach every person.

I urge all lawmakers to seriously investigate UBI and how it can be applied within their nations, while simultaneously focusing on developing robust digital educational institutions that can graduate those that can actively partake and contribute to our global digital world.