Oxford English dictionary defines automation as the use or introduction of automatic equipment in manufacturing or other processes. In layman’s terms automation is responsible for replacing humans with machines, increasing productivity and efficiency but at the same time cutting down jobs and manual labour. A suggested path to alleviate the lack of jobs and less human workforce is the concept of Universal Basic Income(UBI). The subtle interplay of these two concepts may decide the world’s economy, and more importantly, our lives.

Universal Basic Income proposes that every resident citizen of a nation would be provided with a basic stipend by the government, no strings attached. It is a welcome initiative for the underprivileged, the unemployed and the disabled people. It is a potential solution to mitigate the increasing lack of demand for human labour for now and the future. In fact, a new study claims that UBI would grow the US economy by 2.5 trillion dollars. Debts can be cleared, investments can be made and a basic lifestyle could be achieved theoretically.

Again, there are two sides to any coin. Critics believe that it is far too expensive, could be a proponent in helping people drop out of the workforce due to the promise of essentially free money, which in turn would wreck the economy and ruin the government’s tax base for funding the plan itself. While the scheme provides guaranteed money, it may limit the economical potential one could reach, since, at the root, it gives an incentive for productive citizens to not work, indirectly not adding value to the economy. All in all, if such a situation arises where UBI is to be implemented, automation would be the prime cause for it. Almost every innovation has been made to make our lives easier in one way or another. Automation is an evolution in the innovation sector. Automation is being developed with the sole purpose of manufacturing quality goods efficiently and effectively, the byproduct of which is lack of direct manual jobs.

Interestingly, the paradox of automation says that the more efficient the automated system, the more crucial the human contribution of the operators. Humans are less involved, but their involvement becomes more critical. So, inadvertently, while automation is causing reduction in direct manual labour, it is also increasing some job space pertaining to its functions. For the sake of argument, this might lead to a general increase in education levels since now the competition lies in operating the machines. This will then lead to an increase in teaching jobs and the chain goes on.

Once automation takes a strong hold over the world, the distinction between skilled and unskilled labourers will become even clearer, since the unskilled labourers might find themselves out of a job when the skilled may or may not, owing to high competition.

Its in these cases that UBI will play a crucial role since it acts as the bridge between the affected and the privileged. It will provide that basic standard living until the unskilled become skilled in their respective areas of interest. Thus, UBI ensures that a citizen is not harmed because of the changing circumstances and that the government is taking care of its future workforce.

So, as can be understood, UBI is a very divisive and controversial topic. There’s no clear winner here. The biggest problem might be instant gratification. Any individual pours his blood and sweat in the workforce hoping for equivalent or greater returns. What is, due to UBI, majority of the world’s population stop working? Would automation play a crucial role here?

I have given enough to reasons to believe in UBI and also criticize UBI. It is you who must decide which is better for you, for such a significant issue concerns the livelihood of all.