Altman-Backed Group Reveals Findings from Basic Income Experiment

A project supported by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, OpenResearch, conducted a three-year experiment on unconditional basic income and published its findings.

The research group discovered that recipients of the unconditional funds spent more on basic needs and helping others. They did not quit their jobs, although they worked slightly fewer hours. The key conclusion from the experts is that the additional money provides flexibility.

Altman announced funding for the project in 2016, a month and a half after founding OpenAI. At that time, he was “intrigued by the idea of basic income.”

The research was initially conducted by the non-profit YC Research, which later rebranded as OpenResearch and began recruiting more participants for a large-scale experiment in 2019. Altman continued to be a key sponsor.

The pilot project began in 2020. 1,000 low-income participants (earning less than $29,000 annually on average) received $1,000 per month, while another 2,000 received $50. The results were as follows:

• initially, participants used the funds to purchase essentials like food, rent, and transportation;
• there was a reduction in the use of non-prescribed painkillers and excessive alcohol consumption;
• visits to dentists and hospitals increased;
• over time, participants became more future-oriented, better at budgeting, and saving;
• they more frequently planned for higher education and starting businesses;
• recipients with the lowest incomes used the funds to financially support family and friends, and pay for housing.
• on average, those receiving $1,000 worked slightly less than those receiving $50.

“The money provides flexibility and can enhance opportunities when deciding on a job that aligns with the recipients’ individual circumstances, goals, and values,” the researchers noted.

In 2022, the Danish AI Party proposed introducing an unconditional basic income of 100,000 kroner ($13,700) per month.