You will note that Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Transportation has been basically beating the bushes saying we need to deploy this autonomous technology. The lobbyists for autonomous technology are on it, and they have their hands in the pot of government right now. And I have not seen any policymaker articulate any kind of policy that would make sure these gains are distributed equally. And you will not see that coming out of the Trump administration, or the GOP leadership.

Political scientist Mara Rockeymoore surveys the impact of autonomous vehicles on the driving profession, and automation on American labor as a whole - and calls for policies that protect workers threatened by precarity, and ensure the benefits of automation are spread across society, and not just redirected into the hands of the wealthy.

Maya is co-author of the report Stick Shift: Autonomous Vehicles, Driving Jobs, and the Future of Work from the Center for Global Policy Solutions.