Karla Lant reports that Dutch historian Rutger Bregman gave a TED talk on universal basic income (UBI) in which he explored this loaded question ... Why do the poor make such poor decisions? His answer was simple ... people in poverty save less money, eat less healthful foods, and do drugs more often because their basic needs are not met.
UBI is the simplest, fastest way to meet those needs for everyone, without danger of unfairness, Bregman argued. It is his position that the need and the means to establish UBI already exist, and only action and the will to implement it remain unfinished.
Poverty is not a lack of character. Poverty is a lack of cash, he told the TED crowd of more than 1,000 people, inspiring the crowd onto its feet. This standing ovation was a sign of the groundswell of support for UBI in the U.S., a movement which has its roots in the technology sector. As artificial intelligence (AI) and the changes it will inevitably cause in the labor force creep ever nearer, Silicon Valley thought leaders are searching for ways that humans and AI alike will be able to thrive in a 21st century economy.
Sam Altman of Y Combinator, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Chris Hughes of Facebook, and Elon Musk of Tesla all see UBI as an essential part of the solution. Other influences are taking note, too ... Venture capitalist Chris Sacca tweeted that Bregman remarks were, devastatingly provocative and enlightening.
Based on the enthusiastic response from the TED crowd, the U.S. may have the will to implement, just not the action quite yet. With this will can inspire action remains to be seen, but a spate of UBI trials around the world is bringing the concept into the mainstream. In Finland, Kenya, and Oakland, California, UBI experiments are already happening. Later this year the Netherlands will begin a trial as well.
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