Glossary
The key ideas, in plain language
You don't need a background in economics or law to take part. If a word in the blueprint is unclear, it's probably explained here. If it isn't, ask a question on the piece where you found it.
- LifeSystems
The name of this whole proposal: a voluntary economic system for a future where AI and robots do about 99% of the work. Everyone gets a tax-free basic income, and worker-owned cooperatives compete to offer affordable living packages.
“LifeSystems” can mean the framework as a whole, the cooperatives that provide services within it (“LifeSystems providers”), or the subscriptions they sell (“LifeSystems services”). Joining is always optional: you can live fully inside it, fully outside it, or somewhere in between.
Read it in the blueprint (§0.1) →- À la carte
Buying individual services one at a time instead of a full package.
Read it in the blueprint (§4.2) →- Adequacy standards
Minimum quality requirements a baseline package must meet, such as a decent home, enough food, and access to care, so the cheapest option is still a good one.
Read it in the blueprint (§4.1) →- Bundled arrangement (payment routing)
If you choose a living package, you can authorize the government to send part of your UBI straight to your provider and pay you the rest. It needs your consent, comes with clear invoices, and you can cancel or switch anytime.
Read it in the blueprint (§4.2) →- Common-mode failure
When many systems break at once because they share the same weakness, for example everyone relying on the same AI model. The blueprint calls for diversity in AI, energy, and supply chains to avoid it.
Read it in the blueprint (§13.5) →- Constitutional amendment
A change to the U.S. Constitution. The blueprint proposes one so that future politicians can't easily cut or divert UBI. Under Article V it needs approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of the states.
Read it in the blueprint (§10.1) →- Continuity reserves
Money and resources set aside so UBI and essential services keep going during a crisis, outage, or funding shortfall.
Read it in the blueprint (§13.3) →- Economic rent
Income earned just from owning something scarce, like a prime location, rather than from work or investment. A land-value tax aims to capture part of it for the public.
Read it in the blueprint (§7.1) →- Eligible adult
A person who qualifies for UBI. The exact definition (citizenship, residency, age) isn't decided yet. It's one of the open questions for Version 3.0.
Read it in the blueprint (§15.2) →- Graceful degradation
Designing a system so that when something goes wrong it keeps working at a reduced level instead of collapsing entirely.
Read it in the blueprint (§13.1) →- Grandfathered
Exempt from a new rule because you were already in place before it started. Here, homes people already own and live in would be exempt from any new LifeSystems land tax.
Read it in the blueprint (§6.2) →- Land-value tax
A tax on the value of land itself, not the buildings on it. Land is the one resource machines can't make more of, so the blueprint proposes taxing it as the main way to fund UBI.
Read it in the blueprint (§7.1) →- Living subscription (package)
A monthly bundle from a cooperative that can include housing, food, utilities, healthcare, transport, education, and more, like a phone plan for everyday life. A baseline package must be affordable on UBI alone; premium ones cost more.
Read it in the blueprint (§4.1) →- Means-tested
Given only to people who prove they have low income or few assets, like many welfare programs today. LifeSystems UBI is explicitly not means-tested: everyone eligible gets it.
Read it in the blueprint (§1.3) →- Opt out / opt back in
You can stop receiving UBI at any time (say, because you don't need it) and start again whenever you like, with no penalty, waiting period, or proof of need. Payments restart from that day; you don't get back pay for the time you were out.
Read it in the blueprint (§3.3) →- Personal AI
An optional AI assistant that helps you find interests, communities, learning, healthcare, and support. It's opt-in, you control your data, and it must never be used for surveillance or manipulation.
Read it in the blueprint (§9.1) →- Post-labor economy
An economy where machines do most necessary work, so most people no longer need a job to survive. The blueprint assumes AI and robotics handle about 99% of it.
Read it in the blueprint (§2.1) →- Prospective payments
Payments that apply from now on, not backdated. If you rejoin UBI after years away, you start receiving it going forward but aren't paid for the years you declined.
Read it in the blueprint (§3.5) →- Provider
A cooperative that sells LifeSystems services or living packages. People choose among competing providers and can switch whenever they want.
Read it in the blueprint (§4.1) →- Resolution plan
A plan each provider must have in advance for what happens if it fails, so residents keep their homes and services rather than the management being bailed out.
Read it in the blueprint (§13.4) →- Speculative land / anti-hoarding
Land kept empty in the hope its price will rise, instead of being used or built on. Anti-hoarding rules discourage this so more land is available for homes.
Read it in the blueprint (§7.2) →- UBI (universal basic income)
A regular payment every eligible adult receives from the government, whether or not they work and however much they already have. In this blueprint it's never taxed, and the draft amendment calls it the “dividend.”
Read it in the blueprint (§3.1) →- Worker-owned cooperative
A business owned and run by the people who work in it rather than by outside shareholders. Workers elect leaders and vote on big decisions. In LifeSystems these co-ops provide housing, food, and other services, and compete for customers.
Read it in the blueprint (§5.1) →