UBI and the Story of Work
Jun 1, 2026·
·
1 min read
Beyond the Paycheck
Host Joe Williams shares the story that sparked the series: watching his freelance translation work dry up in late 2025 as AI reshaped his industry. In this audio-documentary style podcast, Joe uses this opportunity to ask bigger questions. If automation does hollow our the job market, what happens to the social contracts around work? If work is not only a paycheck, but also a source of identity as it is for many people, what might we be able to do to build up societal resilience now?
Joe begins to explore these ideas through reflection, The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as well interviews with Andrew White and Héctor Pérez-Urbina.
Chapters
00:00 ❙ Intro
10:22 ❙ Inequality in the digital economy
15:02 ❙ Automation, AI and Work
17:04 ❙ The Meaning of Work
20:24 ❙ Relationships with Work
21:44 ❙ Work Culture
23:25 ❙ Work and Moral Value
26:10 ❙ Work as Self-Realisation
28:03 ❙ Value of Non-Paid Work
32:43 ❙ Paid vs Non-Paid Work
38:44 ❙ AI-Elites and UBI Discourse
42:29 ❙ Outro
10:22 ❙ Inequality in the digital economy
15:02 ❙ Automation, AI and Work
17:04 ❙ The Meaning of Work
20:24 ❙ Relationships with Work
21:44 ❙ Work Culture
23:25 ❙ Work and Moral Value
26:10 ❙ Work as Self-Realisation
28:03 ❙ Value of Non-Paid Work
32:43 ❙ Paid vs Non-Paid Work
38:44 ❙ AI-Elites and UBI Discourse
42:29 ❙ Outro
