Recent concern about the uncertain impacts of artificial intelligence has fueled renewed discussion of universal basic income (UBI). As in the past, much of the conversation depicts UBI as a policy expedient aimed at relieving the adverse effects (presumably inescapable and impending) of technological unemployment. We must, however, rethink the main purpose of UBI. It is a sound policy initiative quite independent of the technology question. By aligning with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UBI could be a global game-changer. Appreciating this, however, requires looking beyond growth in gross domestic product as the predominant indicator of economic progress.
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