Musk promises government checks while people demand protection: the AI conflict

As Americans grow more worried that artificial intelligence will wipe out millions of jobs and create a new underclass of unemployed and undervalued workers, billionaires and tech industry leaders are rushing to reassure them. It looks like a well-organized PR campaign meant to soothe fears and head off real government regulation of AI.

A promise instead of action

Musk and other tech leaders have launched what amounts to a campaign of calm and reassurance. Musk recently said in a social media post that a "universal income from the government" delivered through direct checks would save everyone displaced by AI and automation. It sounds appealing, even noble: hand out money to people who have lost their jobs.

But behind the nice words lies a simple, cynical logic. If people are not afraid of being left without work and feel protected by promised payments, they are less likely to demand real regulation and protection of their jobs. It resembles a classic distraction tactic: speculate about checks in an uncertain future so that people do not demand oversight and protection in the present.

• Musk: "don't worry, the government will help"
• The promise: universal income through checks for displaced workers
• The hidden message: don't demand AI regulation and oversight
• The end goal: avoid government control over the development and deployment of AI systems

Reality behind the polished facade

But the numbers and the reality say something quite different. According to polls and sociological studies, Americans really are increasingly worried: anxiety is growing over how quickly and on what scale AI could push people out of their jobs. And the concern is not groundless; it is well founded.

AI is already being adopted across a range of professions, from call centers to law firms. The threat of job losses exists right now, not in some distant future. The creation of a "new underclass" of unemployed and undervalued workers is not an analysts' fantasy. It is a real risk if the government does not adopt a well-thought-out, timely policy of retraining, reskilling and protection.

Musk can promise checks, but how long will they keep arriving? Will they be enough to live on? What about healthcare, insurance and guarantees?

"Promises of future payments cannot solve the problem of worker displacement that is happening right now," analysts note in

Labour Department studies.

What is actually needed

Instead of nice promises about government checks and charity, real and concrete protective measures are needed:

• AI regulation — set limits on the uncontrolled development and deployment of AI in critical sectors of the economy (healthcare, transport, public services, education)
• Retraining programs — teach workers new skills the market needs; fund these programs now, not in an uncertain future
• Limits on replacing people — slow down or control the replacement of people with AI systems in critical industries without agreement from unions and local authorities
• Control over the pace of adoption — monitor how fast AI is introduced, giving the economy and society time to adapt
• Automation taxes — companies that actively displace people with AI systems should pay taxes; the money goes to retraining and support for displaced workers

What this means

Billionaires are not afraid of AI itself or of technological change. They are afraid of regulation that would get in the way of making money quickly from AI and automation. Their public campaigns of reassurance and promises of government checks are an attempt to divert attention from the fact that real laws, oversight and a system of protection for people are needed.

Americans do not need charity from a distant, uncertain future. They need concrete guarantees and protection today.