This stuff always seems like appealing to magic. If magic could meet our basic needs, it would be great too. But unlike magic, people appeal to this all the time, despite it being equally impossible today.
The reason I bring that up is that it distracts from solutions that we can actually implement.
The problem is that any alternative or additional solution could also be interpreted to be a distraction, so that doesn't convince me much. I don't see it as an exclusive alternative, as in we should do this instead of UBI. My point is about the long term trajectory of innovation.
In the US at least, our roads are a public service. You don't have to pay to be on a road (outside of a few exceptions). I think a good long term vision for scientists is to reduce the cost of our basic needs to the point that all our essential needs could be a public service. I don't see why that's a distraction.
The reason I bring that up is that it distracts from solutions that we can actually implement.