Universal Basic Income; Artificial Intelligence In Hiring; Gravitational Waves

On this encore, Labor Day edition of The 21st: Universal Basic Income is the idea that giving residents a fixed amount of money on a regular basis — with no strings attached—is a good way to address poverty and inequality. Now, one Alderman wants to launch a pilot program in Chicago. Plus, how companies are using artificial intelligence to filter out resumes and ultimately determine who gets an interview. And, we hear from a Northwestern astrophysicist about black holes and how she first got started in astrophysics.

Have you heard of Universal Basic Income? It’s an idea where every citizen receives an amount of money on a regular basis — with no strings attached. The idea’s gotten more traction in recent years and has even been tried out in a couple of American cities. Alaska actually a version of this called the Alaska Permanent Fund.

Here in Illinois, one Chicago alderman is pushing for a pilot program to see whether this would work in our state’s largest city.

Ameya Pawar is the alderman putting forward this proposal. He’s a Democrat representing Chicago’s 47th ward on the city’s north side. He joined us on the line today. We were also joined by Bob Bruno, he’s a professor and director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois.

Plus—

If you’ve spent anytime looking for a new job recently, then you know that technology makes it a lot easier. Or perhaps you are an employer looking for new candidates. There are online search tools and networking sites LinkedIn. You can conduct interviews via video and use the web to search for tips on everything from resume templates to how to dress to impress.

Technology has also become so sophisticated that many companies are using artificial intelligence to filter through resumes and even answer applicant questions. But - think of all of the controversy about Facebook’s algorithm when it determines our news feed. Now - think about using other algorithms to determine who gets an interview.

Alexia Elajalde-Ruiz recently reported on this for the Chicago Tribune. Jeffrey Blumenfeld was also on the line with us. He’s the Director of Career Moves at JVS Chicago, which provides career counseling and exploration services. Tony Lee was with us also from the Society of Human Resource Management.

And—

When two black holes collide, they create ripples in space and time known as gravitational waves. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction - but for a team of researchers led by Vicky Kalogera - it’s the real thing. Kalogera is a professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University. She directs their center for interdisciplinary exploration and research in Physics and was recently awarded the Dannie Heineman prize for Astrophysics.