Nobody knows. What is known is that every past tremendous increase in the working ability of mankind has not resulted in catastrophe despite people predicting that it would.

Well, that's not exactly true. For the main period of transition and skilled laborers prior to the tremendous increase, it has been a catastrophe.

Sure, but with a universal income that barely keeps them above water, they will continue to spend everything they get and drive the main consumer economy.

So we can say that universal income is just a way of keeping people 'alive' to let corporation earn the money - just like slaves were kept alive to do things for free.

No, I don't think it's 'just' that, but it's definitely one of the purposes of it.