Hmmm... hybrid communism. Instead of making everyone work, we make a few people work while the unmotivated, disaffected, or medically incapable majority sponges off their efforts directly. Sure, it may not start that way... hell basic income might not even be that bad of an idea since it would eliminate/merge welfare and social security. However, a cross the board basic income that people don't have to apply for would be disastrous at our current level of technology.

The downside of basic income is that it would be directly given to everyone, which would simply raise prices to match or exceed the income raise. Basic economics makes the idea nothing more than a feel good folly. More demand due to a large consumer base + finite supply of goods = raise in prices to the limit the demand will sustain.

However, having engineers, inventors, and business people directly support a group of individuals that are not contributing would be even less unsustainable. Since a business is generally smaller and maintains a lower cash reserve, the business will fold faster if anything disrupts its cash flow.

At least communism mandated working for those who are able. It was an implementation of the "many hands make light work" theory of economics. It is unfortunate that it will only work in a worker economy rather than a creative or service economy. Automation pretty much ended the communist ideal.

On the other hand, not working... it is an attractive idea. Live the life of a gentile, pursuing one's own interests and hobbies, and having the freedom to seek pleasure as the desire strikes is an intoxicating concept. Automation seems to put that within reach. Having a small personal factory in a box that takes care of ones material needs for the cost of raw materials would drastically cut ones expenses drastically.

Until a large scale, automatic, multi-material 3D printer/manufacturing unit becomes a reality, that will remain a pipe dream. Even then, it would drive the price of raw materials up, unless there is a price fix in place to stop the rise. That price fix in turn would adversely affect the raw material producers and packagers. Even if they were heavily automated, they still have costs that have to be met.

More supply would also be a method of correcting the price rise from higher demand. Mining asteroids would be a major boon to the total amount of available raw materials.

We are still 2-3 generations away from widespread, purely autonomous labour that would allow everyone to live like aristocrats. Plus, someone will still have to do the maintenance work!

Even if robots fix robots, some intelligent corrections will be needed eventually. Limited, task focused AI can only go so far. General AI that think at near our level would not solve anything either... that just gives us a new slave race.

In the end, people will still have to work. Maybe not as hard or as often, but human effort will always be required to sustain ourselves in our current biological state.

Now if we could alter our biology to accept direct electric energy in stead of food the way some single cell organisms live... that would solve most of our real issues. It would sharply reduce demand our most resource intensive enterprise... agriculture.

I know that my current writing is a little jumpy, but hey I only have so much time... Time to get back to work!