The automation movement eliminated millions of factory jobs. The use of AIs is going to eliminate tens and tens of millions of office jobs in this country. The only way for the masses to share in the benefits of AIs is to have a guaranteed income. Otherwise the rich will monopolize the gains and keep it all to themselves.
So interesting that the biggest benefits are health benefits so far. It's just accepted by most Americans that laying awake at night worrying about bills is just a part of adulthood. The working class worries about paying for the basics because there is virtually no social safety net. And this doesn't change with the more money you make for most. In fact it can get worse, my income is high enough now that the social safety net might as well not exist to me. If I were laid off and couldn't find work within 6 months I'd face financial ruin because unemployment would not pay my bills and I'd be eating into my savings just to make ends meet. And having a few months worth of bills in savings makes me in a much better spot than most.
There is an illusion of security among the upper middle class. I have a couple degrees that are in demand to fall back on, but things can change quickly with technology that might make my degrees not a guarantee of a job. In my state the Unemployment benefit is maxed out at $363 a week before taxes, I could pay my mortgage with that, but nothing more. Getting sick while laid off would ruin me completely. People have no clue how close to a crisis they are living. The social safety net has been dismantled almost entirely, this effects more Americans than people are willing to admit.
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