Recalibrating the Social Contract: The Global Case for Universal Basic Income in the Age of AI

This paper proposes Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a critical policy response to the economic and social disruptions engendered by artificial intelligence (AI). As automation displaces, or fundamentally transforms, traditional forms of work, AI-driven productivity continues to soar, generating immense value from publicly funded data and infrastructure. By examining historical precedents (including the New Deal and various social welfare models), international case studies (like Finland’s UBI experiment and India’s pilot programs), and emerging ethical and economic rationales, this paper argues that UBI is both a viable evolution of governmental support for citizens and a forward-looking strategy to address global inequality. It further explores how UBI anticipates cultural shifts in a world where work and identity are increasingly decoupled. Bringing together insights from philosophy, economics, and computer science, the paper situates UBI within the broader philosophical discourse on AI’s responsibilities and implications for human dignity and social justice. This discussion forms the first pillar of a trilogy on recalibrating the social contract, to be complemented by free healthcare and lifelong education. Collectively, these pillars propose a blueprint for distributing AI’s vast benefits in ways that uphold human agency, reduce inequality, and preserve social cohesion.