[CliffFletcher]

UBI is a huge step, and there's nowhere near the political urgency to implement it yet. But we need to start looking into it, because this incoming wave of automation is going smash the job market. When we have 30 per cent unemployment and another 30 per cent of people working in insecure gig economy jobs, it will be too late to start talking about UBI because we'll have a revolution on our hands.

Look at how the decline of manufacturing has fuelled populist fury in the U.S. The coming automation will be much bigger in scope. Transportation, manufacturing, retail, food services are going to get slammed. Truck driver and retail clerk are the top two jobs in North America in people employed, and both are expected to be largely automated within 10-20 years. Those retails clerks displaced by e-commerce can't expect to go work for Amazon either, because Amazon in turn is automating its warehouse and delivery roles. White-collar jobs like insurance underwriting and legal clerks are in the cross hairs too.

It will be in the interests of everyone with a stake in social stability - politicians, business leaders, the educated and affluent - to take measures before the whole applecart gets overturned.