Could universal basic income become the next economic revolution?

In October 2026, Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, announced plans to commit 5% of its shares to a Public Benefit Fund, potentially supporting nonprofits and direct financial assistance to populations affected by technological and economic disruption.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s administration has introduced Trump Accounts, including a one-time $1,000 government investment for eligible American children. The administration has also discussed possible investment-account initiatives for adults.

Elon Musk has proposed distributing SpaceX shares to American children, adding another dimension to the debate about how wealth generated by technology and private companies could be shared.

These initiatives are not universal basic income programs. However, they raise an important question: As artificial intelligence transforms the economy, will governments and technology companies develop new ways to distribute wealth?

In this Monterra Originals documentary, we explore:

Universal basic income experiments and proposals across 82 countries
Stanford University’s global basic-income research map
Anthropic’s proposed 5% Public Benefit Fund
President Trump’s $1,000 investment accounts and potential expansion
Elon Musk’s SpaceX share proposal and vision of AI-driven abundance
Guaranteed-income experiments in Kenya, Brazil, South Korea, Canada, and the Marshall Islands
AI automation, disappearing entry-level opportunities, and the future of employment
The $3.1 trillion annual cost of a hypothetical nationwide U.S. basic-income program
Whether guaranteed income could strengthen workers’ financial security

Drawing on research, government announcements, economic experiments, and Annie Lowrey’s book Give People Money, we examine how an idea once considered radical has become an international policy discussion.

Is universal basic income the future of economic security, or an experiment too expensive to implement?

Stanford Basic Income Lab: https://basicincome.stanford.edu/experiments-map/

UBI RADAR: https://ubiradar.com/en/tracker

Economic Security Project: https://economicsecurityproject.org/resource/gi-blueprint/

The 82-country figure includes current and completed experiments, proposals, and related income-support initiatives. It does not represent 82 countries that have implemented universal basic income.

Anthropic’s proposed fund, Trump Accounts, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX share proposal are distinct from recurring universal basic-income payments.

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