As wealth inequality reaches record levels, 2025 is witnessing the first large-scale implementations of Universal Basic Asset (UBA) policies—a philosophical evolution beyond basic income. Alaska’s Permanent Fund (which distributes oil revenues) now includes data dividend payments, while Singapore’s “SkillsFuture” program issues blockchain-verified education tokens. These experiments are rekindling debates about property rights that trace back to Locke and Marx, but with 21st-century twists.
The philosophical innovation lies in decoupling subsistence from labor—not through cash handouts, but through ownership stakes in productive assets. Moroccan philosopher Fatema Mernissi’s concept of “cyber-commons” is gaining traction, with Barcelona’s “data sovereignty” initiative treating personal data as a collectively managed resource. Even conservative economists are reconsidering Thomas Paine’s “Agrarian Justice” proposals in light of AI’s capital concentration.
Critics warn UBA could create new dependencies, while proponents see it as fulfilling the Enlightenment promise of equality. The 2025 test cases—from Kenya’s “land tokenization” to Norway’s “AI dividend”—may determine whether this becomes capitalism’s next phase or its radical alternative. As political theorist Kathi Weeks notes, we’re not just debating economic policy, but fundamentally reimagining what citizens owe each other in the digital age.