Reviving the Treaty of Detroit: A Roadmap for Managing AI's Workforce Disruption

As 37% of employees worry about AI-driven job displacement and prominent technologists predict severe workforce disruption, history suggests policy solutions exist. The Treaty of Detroit (1950) demonstrates how structured labor negotiations can distribute automation's productivity gains across the workforce rather than concentrating them among shareholders. This precedent offers crucial insights for managing today's knowledge work transition: technological change need not be catastrophic if accompanied by deliberate protections that preserve worker dignity and economic security.