SOCIO-ECONOMIC POLICY IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES

The current stage of the technological revolution, accompanied by mass automation of production processes with the use of artificial intelligence, is characterized by increased stratification of the population, an increase in structural unemployment, an exacerbation of the social situation in almost all countries, including Ukraine. The tendency to increase the uneven distribution of national income in the world is increasing in all regions of the world, but its growth rates are different. The exponential acceleration of the pace of development of modern technologies, digitalization of the economy and automation of production processes carries with it the threat of widening the gap between the poor and the rich. The widespread introduction of robots and artificial intelligence, even in the non-production sphere — insurance, medicine, hotel and restaurant business — reduces the possibility of adsorption of labor, released in the industries of material production. This inevitably leads to an increase in structural unemployment, the duration of which is also increasing. The most important factor affecting the uneven distribution of income is the state social and economic policy, one of the options for which is the introduction of a tax on robots, which will finance retraining programs and social support for people who have lost their jobs due to automation of production processes. However, although the introduction of such a tax will slightly reduce the rate of robot's production, thus giving more time for society to adapt to the new technological structure, the very essence of the problem — the crowding out of people from the production processes — does not solve, since everything that can be algorithmized will inevitably be automated. Another option is to introduce unconditional basic income instead of existing social programs. According to the authors, the introduction of unconditional basic income is a matter of the future. Today, in order to prevent the growth of property stratification in Ukraine, already well-known tools should be used, such as progressive taxation, the introduction of property tax (starting from a certain level), the introduction of excise taxes on luxury goods, etc. The funds received should be used to finance the creation of new workers places in the sectors related to infrastructure, environmentally friendly production, environmental protection, culture and leisure. At the same time, the progression should be applied starting from twice the average salary. This will retain incentives for productive work and at the same time reduce income inequality.