David Patterson: 10X AI output in a decade would make UHI worth $2,500/day at today's prices
davidpattersonx · x · 2026-09-16
David Patterson sketches an AGI-era economic scenario built on universal basic income (UHI) pegged to the current average income of $250/day. If AI drives a 10X increase in output over 10 years, average prices fall to 10% of today's levels, making the same UHI payment worth $2,500/day in today's purchasing power. He also argues that "trickle-down" is a leftist propaganda term, contending that all workers' incomes rise with total economic output — citing unskilled workers earning $0.50/day vs doctors at $5/day in underdeveloped countries — concluding "we will all be equal and rich."
Related event: David Patterson predicts AI will boost economic output 100x in 20 years(2 posts)→
More from AGI Musings
- Reading agent-written code: 'corrigibility' has become a matter of faith — daniel_mac8 · 2026-09-16
- OPEN-1B announced: the world's first fully auditable transformer training run — micoolcho · 2026-09-16
- Chalmers warned of recursive self-improvement on TV in 1996 — now it's near — zetalyrae · 2026-09-16
- AI is the new Excel macro: consultants will inherit fleets of inscrutable vibe-coded systems — id-ltd · 2026-09-16
- Taylor Lorenz defends EA's animal welfare stance, mocks its sci-fi doomerism — nptacek · 2026-09-16
- AI slowdown won't last: a DeepSeek-style breakthrough could restart the race within months — paulnovosad · 2026-09-16