Universal Basic Income: A Cause Open Source Maintainers and Artists Can Converge On

I’m hardly the person who is the most educated on this topic, but it’s been on my mind more and more.

Universal basic income is a system in which individuals, regardless of their circumstances, are guaranteed a fixed amount of funds to support their basic needs. The funds can be used as deemed necessary by those who receive them, making it different from programs like SNAP, which only allows individuals to obtain certain items within a set of limitations that are subject to change.

With the rise of AI and shift in the landscape of work, UBI might be a shared cause for folks to rally behind. Two groups that are guaranteed to see areas of support are artists and open-source contributors.

Both groups can benefit from not having to worry about the survival costs of housing, transportation, or food with a regular income. This would allow time for more cultural and social good activities, along with a better work-life balance.

Further Reading

Again, I’m no expert. Below you can find just a few places to learn more about the implementation of Universal Basic Income.

• Does universal basic income work? These countries are finding out. (globalaffairs.org)

• Sam Altman's basic-income study is out. Here's what it found. (archive.is)

• Denver Basic Income Project (denverbasicincomeproject.org)