Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 12h

No matter where AI takes us

This thread is 💯

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 13h

I believe AI will create massive wealth and potential for humankind to flourish.

But no matter, what we can all anticipate that the gains will be extremely uneven—perhaps more than any technological revolution that came before. And this is true even if there isn't rapid and sudden mass job loss. 🧵

1 6

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 13h

That's why even techno-optimists should be in favour of building an economic floor for everyone (basic income), capturing some of that new rent to reinvest in public goods (shifting taxes from work to land), and giving everyone a fair stake in the economy's growth (UBI dividends).

1 3 13

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 13h

Some will massively augment their wealth and income. At the same time, working incomes will tend towards subsistence as productivity concentrates value in land (raising rents) and labour's bargaining power melts (eroding real wages).

1 6

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 13h

I believe AI will create massive wealth and potential for humankind to flourish.

But no matter, what we can all anticipate that the gains will be extremely uneven—perhaps more than any technological revolution that came before. And this is true even if there isn't rapid and sudden mass job loss. 🧵

1 3 8

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 4d

Maybe listen to the Nobel Prize winner whose work made AI like ChatGPT possible… when he says UBI will be necessary?

2 8 24

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

Ken Yang @kenjaminyang.bsky.social · 5d

Many in the Canadian basic income movement brushed this off until as recently as 2 years ago, when chatGPT became the fastest product to 100M users

Now everyone's talking about it

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 5d

Bernie dropped this video saying AI will wipe out the working class.

“Millions of jobs will be eliminated. This is not science fiction. It’s already happening.”

The UBI movement has been saying this for years.

1 5 13

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 5d

Bernie dropped this video saying AI will wipe out the working class.

“Millions of jobs will be eliminated. This is not science fiction. It’s already happening.”

The UBI movement has been saying this for years.

3 2 9

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 6d

People make better long-term decisions for themselves and those around when they know they have long-term security. That's what basic income can provide.

11 24

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 8d

poverty drains our health and potential

an income floor restores it, letting families thrive and communities strengthen

that's the real return on investment

2 13 61

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 8d

A land value tax can leave most households better off, experiencing net income and property tax relief.

It can begin to fix incentives in a housing market to chase land gains and bid up prices.

2

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

The Great Decoupling of

- GDP vs. wages
- Labour productivity vs. wages
- and now job openings vs. market performance

All are accelerated by automation 🧵

2 7 16

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

@kenjaminyang.bsky.social @ubiworks.bsky.social

4

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

Ensure a basic level of economic security for workers — a basic income safety net.

Build universal capital and social dividends (sovereign wealth funds) so that everyone can share in the market and productivity upside.

We have working models of each:
www.ubiworks.ca/gbi-vs-ubi

Basic Income Explained: Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) vs. Universal Basic Income (UBI)

We already have basic income models that work: guaranteed basic income to lower poverty and UBI dividends from common resources. We explain the differences and how they work together to provide econom...

www.ubiworks.ca

1 1 6

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

Another view that looks like going back to normal, but there is a reversal of correlation since 2022.

We can reasonably anticipate these trends will continue. What can we do?

1 6

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

Canada and US

Labour share of income declining thanks to technology

1 4

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

Canada and US

The Great Decoupling: Productivity vs. Wages

1 4

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 12d

The Great Decoupling of

- GDP vs. wages
- Labour productivity vs. wages
- and now job openings vs. market performance

All are accelerated by automation 🧵

2 7 16

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 14d

Basic income is a reskilling investment. People need time to take courses. @mark-carney.bsky.social himself said we need a system where 40 yr olds can go back to school. They need basic income for that. Without it people get stuck in dead end jobs just for income security.

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 14d

ICYMI: Canadians ranked Basic Income as top choice to address AI Job Loss (Abacus Poll)

AI is coming for work. Canadians want security.

5 17

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 15d

Working should get more tax relief than gains from owning land. We have it backwards.

1 9

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 15d

Private philanthropy and charities can only go so far

This Canadian tech entrepreneur is calling for a fairer tax system where the very wealthiest invest more to reduce inequality

4 15 51

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 19d

Canadians rank basic income as top answer to AI job displacement

We expect this will only grow in salience

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 22d

BREAKING: New Sept 2025 Abacus Poll shows Canadians ranked Guaranteed Basic Income as the top choice to address AI job loss

16 44

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 21d

It's far better to tax land and natural resources than your work income.

That's a vision that can lead us to a Star Trek instead of a Star Wars future, where progress benefits everyone, not just whoever bought everything up first.

2 4

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 22d

BREAKING: New Sept 2025 Abacus Poll shows Canadians ranked Guaranteed Basic Income as the top choice to address AI job loss

2 19 59

Reposted by Floyd Marinescu

UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 27d

BREAKING: National Newswatch promotes Basic Income to boost work, education, health, and housing, while cutting poverty

"Tax dollars would achieve what they are supposed to do: lift people out of poverty and help them live healthier, more productive lives."

Barbara Boraks, Coalition Canada

1 14 72

Floyd Marinescu @floydmarinescu.bsky.social · 28d

Basic income is just using existing money in the economy more efficiently.

6 28