Elon Musk advocates for Universal Basic Income to address AI unemployment

Elon Musk has advocated for Universal Basic Income (UBI) via federal government checks as the primary solution to unemployment caused by artificial intelligence. He argues that because AI and robotics will produce goods and services at levels significantly higher than the current economy, the resulting abundance will prevent inflation despite the increase in money supply.

Musk frequently references the ‘Culture’ science fiction series by Iain M. Banks to illustrate his vision of a post-scarcity, utopian anarchist society. In this vision, extreme automation eliminates material scarcity and mandatory labor. He has also suggested that the fusion of humans and technology, such as through Neuralink, is necessary to ensure humanity remains relevant alongside superintelligent AI.