You could say the same for fiat money. It’s been around for ages despite the flaws.
Discussion
Fiat money is not UBI, it's a social contract. UBI needs to be on top of a worthless Fiat money nobody will want to save in, that's why it's less likely to work long-term. Welfare is not universal but if it were to become the fiat that supports it would fail faster, this one reason why USD is failing.