Question

Recently, the investor Warren Buffet, among others, has speculated that coming-soon

advances in machine intelligence will be the basis for very large productivity gains, very great

increases in wealth for those who own the machines, and a loss of work for many who currently

work in the service or information economy. Some, in response, have suggested that a large

percentage of wealth attributable to the replacement of workers by technology be redistributed to

all Americans in the form of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), which would provide for a basic

(more than subsistence) income, regardless whether someone is in, or trying to be in, the

workforce. Write an essay arguing for or against the proposal of a UBI, making use of ideas

from the class.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Prior to industrialisation, manual labour was the major workforce in most nations. As the population increased, the demand increased as well and the need for a labour force to supply to these needs also increased.

However, when the industrial revolution began, mass production with the need for fewer craftsmen and labourers also began. This meant that the labour force decreased and the demand for people to build, operate and maintain the machinery for the industries began. Thus, the need for technicians in the field of production increased.

Industrialisation meant mass-production. With this increase in production, there was a need for prompt distribution, advertisement and sales. Even if demand and supply were at equilibrium, this balance can only be struck if post-production techniques ensured that the consumers got the produced goods in an optimal manner.

This is how the marketing and distribution sector began to flourish after the industrial revolution. Therefore, even though the amount of labour job may have drastically decreased because of the machines, the new production styles gave rise to new types of jobs.

Instead of focusing on decreasing the quality of life by having paid of an unemployed individual with Universal Basic Income, it would be prudent to explore the new types of employment in the landscape of production and marketing.

In very few instances it would be that machines actually would take care of themselves, goods would sell themselves, research and development would happen by itself and machines would work without the initiation of human beings. This would mean that as long as human beings are needed for the smooth functioning of a machine run society, there would be employment opportunities. Jobs improve an individual’s quality of life and hence should not be replaced by a UBI facility.