‘Dr. Doom’ Nouriel Roubini says we’re headed for universal basic income or ‘some form of socialism’ as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

Ah, Dr. Doom Nouriel Roubini has peered into the crystal ball and, for once, his prognosis is so grim it's almost cheerful. He tells us that within 20-25 years, a 'large chunk' of humanity will be surplus to requirements, replaced by AI and robots, and the only way out is universal basic income or 'some form of socialism.' And he calls that optimistic. This from a man whose nickname is *Dr. Doom*. When the professional pessimist says your best-case scenario is a guaranteed basic income funded by the state, you know the bar is in hell.

Roubini's sunny-side-up socialism stands in delightful contrast to the cheery denial we heard from Indeed's chief economist who insisted that aging Baby Boomers are the real labor problem, not AI. wait for them to die? But sure, it's the demographics, not the robots.

For the working stiff reading this on their break — if that job still exists — Roubini's timeline is the punchline. Twenty years? That's an eternity in boardroom-speak, but for anyone under 40, it's their entire career arc. The 'optimistic' outcome is a government cheque and the vague promise of 'retraining programmes.' The great irony of Dr. Doom's optimism is that it sounds exactly like everyone else's dystopia — just with better branding.