Springboard to Opportunities program in Jackson, Miss., gives moms $1,000 a month as part of a "universal basic income"

The idea of a “universal basic income” is gaining traction among Silicon Valley titans and Democratic presidential hopefuls, despite a national trend toward more restrictions on public benefits.

The idea of guaranteed income is gaining traction, from the presidential debate stage to Silicon Valley, where tech titans such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have promoted it as a way to fend off a gloomy future in which automation and climate change eliminate millions of jobs. Activists associated with the Movement for Black Lives are advocating guaranteed income for African Americans as a form of reparations for slavery.