Research & Insights
Predistribution AI Lab Discussion Paper Series - Part III: Driver Equity Transition Stakes (DETS) A Predistributive Prototype for AI and Automation-Driven Worker Displacement
The third paper in PDI’s Predistribution AI Lab series prototypes a three-pillar intervention for rideshare drivers displaced by autonomous vehicles (AVs): ongoing cash income, equity in AV platforms, and diversified portable investment accounts. It weighs the model against alternatives like universal basic income (UBI), sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), universal basic capital (UBC), and purpose trusts, and notes it can adapt to other groups - from communities hosting infrastructure to content creators whose work trains AI.
The model offers foundational proposals to be further refined with stakeholders. We highlight the importance of living wages (incomes) for those who continue to work, as well as freedom of association and collective bargaining. We also compare the proposals we offer to those already on the table, from universal basic income (UBI), to sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), to purpose trusts and beyond, and evaluate pros and cons of various approaches.