Section 2
Assumed technological environment
What the world has to look like for this to work.
?New here? What LifeSystems is, in 30 seconds
LifeSystems is a proposal for how society could work once AI and robots do about 99% of the jobs, leaving most people without employment through no fault of their own.
- A basic income for everyone. Every eligible adult gets a tax-free monthly payment (UBI), job or no job. You can turn it off and back on whenever you like.
- Living packages from co-ops. Worker-owned cooperatives compete to offer affordable bundles of housing, food, healthcare and more, paid for with that income.
- Freedom stays. You can keep your home, run a business, earn more, or skip the whole system. It's a floor, not a ceiling.
- Funded by land. Mainly through a tax on land value, the one resource machines can't make more of.
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Your turn
Are these assumptions realistic? What would have to be true first — and how would we know?
The model assumes a mature, highly capable AI-and-robotics economy. Autonomous systems provide most food production, construction, energy generation, material extraction and recycling, transportation, maintenance, logistics, education support, healthcare services, and administration. Advanced AI continuously optimizes costs and quality. The assumption that costs approach zero is a long-term scenario, not an established technical or economic fact.
§2.1AI also supports personal development: loneliness reduction, relationship-building, addiction treatment, rehabilitation, reintegration, learning, and purpose discovery. These are intended service capabilities; outcomes should be evaluated scientifically, and participation should be consensual. Clinical decisions and liberty-affecting decisions require appropriate safeguards and human accountability.
§2.2