I think it would make a lot of sense to have a BI and to also double-down in R&D to improve all levels of understanding and capabilities in the fields of AI and

I think it would make a lot of sense to have a BI and to also double-down in R&D to improve all levels of understanding and capabilities in the fields of AI and robotics. The protestant work ethic is deeply engrained in this society, but perhaps now we should be thinking in terms of "how do we free as many people as possible for pursuits they haven't yet found" -- and investing heavily in removing jobs that the most hours are worked in. The necessary investment in all levels and types of STEM would be huge, and the result would be tons of technology that can be used to replace current work. To prevent the technology from simply being used to make a very small number of people rich, vast amounts (if not all) of the research should be released as free & open source technology. I do admit however that FOSS is not a pancea to address concerns of excessive wealth concentration - and taxes will continue to play that role. In a sense, the wealth created by the increases in automation will be captured back in the form of taxes, and use to fund additional investment in automation as well as a basic income to sustain all the residents of the society which decided that it was worthwhile to try to abolish work, instead of continuing to fetishize it as a moral obligation.