🚢 UBI: Universal Basic Income or Universal High Income?
By ShipOpsInsights with Dattaram
— A new wave on the horizon... are you ready to sail with it?
Once upon a time at a glittering event
in the UAE, someone asked Elon Musk about the future of jobs. With a half-smile
and full confidence, he said something startling:
“Forget Universal Basic Income…
productivity through AI and robotics will be so high, we’ll need to talk about Universal
High Income.”
Wait. What?
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I was
thinking—not just as a shipping professional, but as a father, a friend, a son
of society. Are we heading into a world where machines do all the work… and
humans just exist?
But let’s rewind first.
Let’s understand what Universal Basic Income (UBI) even means.
⚓ Chapter 1: From Deckplates to Dignity
– What is UBI, really?
Imagine this: Every month, no matter who
you are or what job you do (or don’t), you receive a fixed amount of money. No
strings attached. Not as charity. Not as reward. Just because you're a human
being, a member of society.
UBI isn’t for the lazy.
It’s for those who’ve spent their lives working tirelessly—at sea, in ports, on
shop floors, in hospitals—who suddenly find themselves outpaced by automation.
In shipping, this hits home. What
happens when:
- Navigation
becomes AI-driven?
- Autonomous
cargo handling replaces port workers?
- Digital
twins do vessel inspections remotely?
Are we out of value? No.
We’re full of value, just not fully recognized.
UBI honors your past contribution, and
secures your future dignity.
🌍 Chapter 2: AI Isn’t Just Built
by Code – It's Built on You
Let’s be honest. AI like ChatGPT didn’t
just fall from the sky.
It was built on your conversations, your emails, your manuals, your queries.
You gave data. You gave context. You
gave insight.
So when an AI model earns billions...
why should the value flow only to companies?
UBI says: Let’s share that value.
It’s like the sea—we all use it, we all
protect it. So, the bounty it offers should be shared. That’s not socialism.
That’s sustainability.
In the shipping world, we're already
used to pooling resources. Think P&I clubs. Think SOLAS conventions. UBI is
like that—at a global, human level.
🚢 Chapter 3: Aboard the UBI
Pilot Project – Stories from India’s Heartland
In 2011, SEWA ran an experiment in rural
Madhya Pradesh.
₹300/month
was given to over 6,000 women for 18 months. A neighboring village received
nothing. The results?
🎓 School attendance shot up.
🍛 Nutrition improved.
🚿 Hygiene infrastructure appeared—filters, toilets.
👩🦰 Women launched their own micro-enterprises.
💰 Savings increased.
🧠 Decision-making grew bolder.
Not one soul became “lazy.” In fact,
they worked harder, smarter, more meaningfully.
Like a crew on a well-paid ship—no
mutiny, no slack, just pride.
🌊 Chapter 4: The Real Storm –
Who Controls the Compass?
The real challenge isn't "Should we
have UBI?"
It's "Who decides how it's done?"
- Governments?
- Tech
companies?
- Billionaires?
- International
bodies?
If value is being created from our
data, shouldn't we all have a say in how it’s shared?
UBI isn’t just about money.
It’s about agency. Voice. Equality.
In maritime terms: "UBI isn’t a lifeboat; it’s a new bridge deck—with
everyone having access to the radar."
🌟 Conclusion: Let’s Not Wait for
the Tide to Turn
To my shipping family—seafarers, ops
managers, inspectors, cadets:
Don’t fear UBI.
Understand it. Discuss it. Demand fairness in the age of machines.
You’re not replaceable. You’re remarkable.
⚓ You have earned the right to sail
smoothly, even when the seas go digital.
🔁 CALL TO ACTION
👇 Tell me: What’s your
take on UBI?
🗣 Comment below. Let’s discuss the real future of work.
🔁 Share this if you believe humans matter more than machines.
👨✈️ Follow #ShipOpsInsightsWithDattaram for more such powerful
reflections from the sea—and from life.
#UniversalBasicIncome #FutureOfWork
#AIandHumanity #MaritimeLeadership #ShippingInsights #ShipOps #CrewVoices
#AutomationImpact #WorkAndWorth #DattaramSpeaks #HumanCenteredAI
#ShipOpsInsights
No comments:
Post a Comment