Event Details
What would it take to ensure everyone shares more fairly in America’s growing wealth — especially as automation and AI transform the jobs we rely on?
Join us at UUCGL for an Author Talk & Conversation with Richard Frenkel, author of Shares in America, as he explores one of the most important economic ideas gaining renewed attention: universal basic income (UBI).
For over a century, automation has steadily reduced the need for human labor, and now AI is beginning to reshape many white‑collar professions as well. Frenkel explains how these shifts have contributed to wage stagnation, rising inequality, and growing insecurity for workers — and why we may be approaching a historic turning point.
Drawing on the surprisingly long, bipartisan history of UBI — supported at different times by leaders as varied as Martin Luther King Jr., Milton Friedman, and today’s tech innovators — Frenkel invites us to imagine how a modest income floor could help people thrive in an economy where productivity grows but paychecks don’t always keep up.
This free event includes a Q&A and community discussion. All are welcome — whether you’re curious about UBI, concerned about the future of work, or simply interested in how economic policy might evolve in the age of AI.