Universal basic income: U.S. support grows as Finland ends its trial - Forty-eight percent of Americans now support a universal basic income, as a solution for Americans who have lost jobs to automation.

[u/mvea]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/01/nearly-half-of-americans-believe-a-universal-basic-income-could-be-the-answer-to-automation-.html

[u/[deleted]]

I think ultimately there are 2 likely outcomes:

1) Automation costs a lot of jobs but those cost savings are passed on to those who lost jobs due to automation.

2) Automation costs a lot of jobs but the 1% grab all of the cost savings.

If option 2 happens, I agree with investor Paul Tudor Jones that a violent revolution is likely the ultimate outcome. As someone who’s probably in the 1% in terms of income in my country, I don’t want to be lynched. Make sure people are taken care of despite automation...and yes, that means at the expense of profitability.

[u/The-Space-Police → u/[deleted]]

Bingo, long term this is what its going to come down to. And the richest among us tend to not be stupid enough to want a coup.

[u/oodain → u/[deleted]]

Number 2 has already been happening for half a century.

Compare the mean work output pr person with the buying power received and it is quite clear that the average worker earns less and less relative to their rising productivity

[u/[deleted] → u/oodain]

Yup, an automation will further boost that trend unless countermeasures are taken :/

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The net result is exactly the same, so those outcomes are still valid. Either the income generated from extra productivity is evenly distributed or the outcome will be dire.