AI, UBI, and the Threat of Extinction

AI, UBI, and the Threat of Extinction

by | May 16, 2026 | Featured, News

Photo by Steve A Johnson on Unsplash

Steven Bartlett has interviewed separately three leading experts on artificial intelligence (AI) and a business strategist as part of his podcast series, The Diary of a CEO. These fascinating in-de[th interviews all discuss UBI as a policy for mitigating the social impact of expected massive unemployment accompanying the achievement of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI — a hypothetical type of AI that can match or surpass human cognitive abilities across virtually any intellectual task) through an exponential process known as recursive self-improvement. AGI poses an existential threat to humanity if it proves impossible to solve the “alignment problem” — the challenge of ensuring that AI systems act in accordance with human goals, ethical values, and intentions.

To view the interview of Geoffrey Hinton, click here.

To view the interview of Stuart Russell, click here.

To view the interview of Tristan Harris, click here.

To view the interview of Daniel Priestly click here.

Wages, Work, and Universal Basic Income: Two conceptual articles by Jorg Drescher

Wages, Work, and Universal Basic Income: Two conceptual articles by Jorg Drescher

by | May 13, 2026 | Featured, News

Jorge Drescher of Kyiv, Ukraine has written two thought-provoking articles posing conceptual issues related to wages, work, and basic income.

The first article “Wage Negotiation — Observed by a Third Party”, raises a number of doubts concerning the process by which wages are set. “Consent is present. But is freedom?” Is it just? How would the wage negotiation have proceeded if the employee had a Universal Basic Income? Drescher sugests “Perhaps we need to rethink negotiations altogether: not as a game of asymmetric information, but as an encounter on equal footing. As a dialogue that doesn’t just ask, What are you worth? but: What do you need to be free?“

In the second article, “When Income from Work Becomes a Structural Problem”, Drescher argues that the “primary” form of work is undertaken to satisfy basic needs of existence. But when basic needs are satisfied, people undertake more meaningful activity: “cultural, symbolic, identity-forming.” Income, like work, is a socially constructed phenomenon. “Therefore, the social question is not: How do we enable someone without income to earn money through work? But rather: How do we ensure that all people can live in dignity and security, regardless of their economic utility?” The first step toward answering this question is establishing a UBI, a social dividend that enables freedom.

To read”Wage Negotiation — Observed by a Third Party” click here.

To read “When Income from Work Becomes a Structural Problem” click here.

Basic Income is key to averting a dystopian future

Basic Income is key to averting a dystopian future

by | May 12, 2026 | Events, News

Ontario Basic Income recipient – Photo credit: Jessie Golem

The Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) along with allies including Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are organizing the 2026 Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress being held in Toronto from August 20 to 22, 2026. The theme of the BIEN Congress is Basic Income & the Polycrisis: The key to unlocking the puzzle.

The Congress will mark BIEN’s 40th anniversary and it is a testament to how the Basic Income movement has grown internationally as well as how people from a wide array of countries have shared their knowledge and findings.

In fact, the Basic Income movement has accumulated so much knowledge that organizing and sustaining institutional capacity may be the greatest challenge it now faces.

To read the full article, click here.

Basic Income and Climate Costs

Basic Income and Climate Costs

by | May 4, 2026 | News

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

How can basic income function as climate adaptation infrastructure amid rising energy costs and data center expansion?

Arif Gasilov is Partner, Climate & Environmental Reporting at Gasilov Group, where he advises companies on ESG risk identification, sustainability reporting compliance, and energy regulatory strategy across North American and European jurisdictions. His work focuses on double materiality assessment, climate risk analysis, and navigating disclosure regimes including CSRD, ISSB, SEC, and California SB 253. With a background in environmental science and sustainable built environments, he also covers energy market policy, utility resource planning, and the effects of data center growth on grid capacity and emissions accounting. He has been quoted by U.S. News, Yahoo Finance, and other major outlets globally.

To read the full article, click here.

Building Human-Centered Technology for Guaranteed Income and Equitable Aid Delivery

Building Human-Centered Technology for Guaranteed Income and Equitable Aid Delivery

by | May 2, 2026 | News

Brittany Christenson is the CEO of AidKit, the Public Benefit Corporation transforming how governments and nonprofits deliver aid. A former nonprofit leader, she brings deep empathy and accountability to tech-driven solutions built for dignity and fairness. Under her leadership, AidKit has scaled rapidly—partnering with more than 200 agencies, processing over half a million applications, and disbursing over $330 million in assistance—while keeping trust and accessibility at the core. Brittany holds a vision: agile, human-centered systems that adapt to communities, not the other way around—and that’s exactly what she’s building.

To read the full article, click here.

Guaranteed income helps people leaving jail and prison

Guaranteed income helps people leaving jail and prison

by | May 1, 2026 | News

Upon coming home from prison, people face the same — and rising — costs of living as the rest of us. But they have to bear additional costs imposed by the criminal legal system as well, all while navigating additional and unique barriers to employment. The resulting financial insecurity makes it harder to succeed at reentry. Cash assistance (often called “guaranteed income”) makes reentry easier by providing people with a monetary safety net, helping them get jobs, housing, and food, and fulfill any remaining court or parole obligations.

To read the full article, click here.