Can society thrive with more equitable compensation for all citizens, and workers alike or would that damage the incentive to produce "more or better" products

Can society thrive with more equitable compensation for all citizens, and workers alike or would that damage the incentive to produce "more or better" products which is said to inevitably boost productivity/GDP, etc? Especially with AI coming forward, the case for UBI seems strong. But is it a fundamental desire for humans to be self-serving or selfish, or would UBI just add a base safety net for people, and we could still continue with unequal total comps, and that at least seems like a good first step. [As far as I know, many people agree income inequality is the widest it's ever been, and is a bad thing for society]