The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is being criticized for suggesting on Friday that “universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI. AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation.”
Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI.
AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2026
Andrew Torba, CEO of Gab AI, replied: “Handing people a check isn’t going to solve the crisis of meaning and the spiritual void in people’s lives. What will people *do* all day? Shop? Scroll another feed? From where and what will they derive meaning? They aren’t starting families. Most of them reject God.”
Torba added: “There is no point in going to school beyond the level of basic reading writing and math if jobs are nuked. Not to mention the fact that we now have access to intelligence on demand in our hands. Remove the job that gives someone a some small sense of purpose (and for many the only sense of belonging and community they have) and it’s a recipe for disaster that no amount of money will solve.” More, he said, needs to be done to address how the AI world will “impact their lives spiritually, mentally, and physically, not just financially.”
Conservative social influencer “The Vigilant Fox” also replied: “I respectfully disagree. It doesn’t address the sense of purpose issue. A lot of people go to work every day feeling needed. Like they matter. Take that away, and all you’re left with is unlimited free time, meaning more Netflix, video games, and consumption of X-rated content over doing something productive. I love my free time when I get it, but if I don’t work for it, I don’t appreciate it. Too much free time without any structure might not be the best thing for humanity.”
The Libertarian Party took issue with Musk also, citing people’s increased dependency on the government: “Government welfare that takes our money by force violates the right to keep what we earn. A universal guaranteed income would make this redistribution run smoother, and create even more dependency on government handouts instead of real work or charity. To fund such a scheme, government prints new money and dumps it in accounts. Even with AI and robotics making tons of stuff, this distorts prices and the economy, since new money always helps the first recipients first. Worse, it’s the perfect setup for a Chinese-style social credit system: force everyone onto a government digital dollar that tracks every purchase and move. They’ll freeze our accounts or block what we can buy. Total surveillance and control.”
Libertarian Jeremy Kauffman, founder and leader of the blockchain-based fileshare project LBRY, whose X profile reads “Be free, make babies, build stuff, and have fun,” also replied to Musk: “How did we go from DOGE to this.”
Former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) replied to Musk with laughter: “Hahahhaahhahahaha omg. He’s calling for literal communism which is amazing for an ‘anti communist.’”
But Andrew Yang, co-founder of the Forward Party, was on board with Musk’s vision of the future, writing: “It’s clear that AI will wind up funding universal income. Let’s make that happen ASAP.”