Sam Altman-Backed Group Completes Largest US Study on Basic Income
A project supported by OpenAI’s founder tested the impact of monthly $1,000 payments to low-income individuals. It found increased flexibility and autonomy for recipients.
A man holds a sign advocating for basic income during a 2020 rally in front of the Ohio Statehouse.
Photographer: Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Over the past several years, the idea of direct cash transfers to low-income Americans has gained fast traction, with more than 150 local pilots in 35 US states testing the idea of “basic income.” The largest of those pilots didn't come from a city or county but from OpenResearch, a project backed by OpenAI Chief Executive Officer and Founder Sam Altman.
After three years of distributing $1,000 monthly to beneficiaries in Illinois and Texas, the organization has released a trio of research papers on its findings. Like many of the other studies released before it, OpenResearch finds that recipients spend more to meet their basic needs and assist others, and don't drop out of the workforce — although they work slightly fewer hours. But the researchers’ biggest takeaway is that cash provides flexibility.