I'm an early participant in a UBI program that helps workers displaced by AI, and the support is life-changing

Dean Grey

Dean Grey, an entry-level software engineer, is participating in a new UBI and upskilling program.

Grey said entry-level jobs have evaporated, and hundreds of applications went nowhere.

Grey said the mentorship and the $1,000 monthly stipend renewed his sense of hope and structure.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dean Grey, a participant in a program by AI Commons that aims to upskill and retrain workers who have been displaced by AI alongside a monthly stipend. Grey is an entry-level software engineer who is struggling with his job search.

I never imagined I would become an early participant in what feels like a social experiment for the AI era.…