Software Engineer Joins UBI Program for AI-Displaced Workers

Dean Grey, an entry-level software engineer, said he found renewed hope after joining a program that provides monthly basic income payments to workers affected by artificial intelligence along with upskilling opportunities. Grey grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from UMass.

He previously worked in management and spent about four years in trucking before deciding to pursue a career in software engineering, which he viewed as more stable and better paying. He enrolled in the Hack Reactor coding boot camp and later joined a training-to-hire company that placed participants with large clients.

By the time his training ended, hiring in the sector had slowed sharply as companies focused on AI tools. Grey waited five months on a waiting list before securing a contract position with Infosys. The contract offered no upward mobility and ended after a finite period, after which he struggled to find new work.

Grey sent out hundreds of job applications. He received a small number of phone screenings and two first-round Zoom interviews that did not advance. Many companies ghosted him entirely, he said, and at times even a rejection notice felt like progress.

He exhausted his savings, took gig work, temporary jobs and online surveys, and relied on unemployment benefits that proved insufficient for long-term stability.

Commons approached Grey about joining its pilot program for workers displaced by AI, he accepted. The initiative offers a monthly stipend of up to $1,000 together with technical training, mentorship, engineering projects and community support. Participants begin each day with standups to review progress and obstacles.