The Dual-Track Universal Framework: Addressing AI Displacement and Innovation Asymmetry Through Dignity-Linked Income and Participation-Linked Innovation Currency

This paper proposes the Dual-Track Universal Framework (DTUF), a two-path architecture designed to address both existential economic security and entrepreneurial opportunity in the age of AI displacement and innovation asymmetry. DTUF consists of a dignity-linked base income tied to community service and a participation-linked innovation currency that democratizes access to professional services and startup resources. Unlike traditional Universal Basic Income proposals, DTUF preserves human agency through meaningful contribution while creating systematic pathways for innovation regardless of initial wealth. The framework leverages existing institutional structures, from Small Business Administration categorizations to professional licensing requirements, to create a parallel economy that coexists with current systems rather than replacing them wholesale. Through theoretical modeling and comparative analysis, I demonstrate how DTUF addresses key limitations of existing UBI proposals while mitigating the innovation access gaps that perpetuate wealth concentration in knowledge economies.