You can almost hear the hackles raised and the impending write-offs of self-driving cars. It’s still too sci-fi for the public. It also raises valid questions, such as 1) Are they safe? and 2) Are machines better drivers than humans? Lastly, the concept triggers social anxieties, such as possibilities of large-scale unemployment for truckers and cab drivers who will ineluctably be replaced by such vehicles.
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| Image source: lefigaro.fr |
Currently, self-driving cars aren’t too far from being mainstreamed. We are looking at around 4.7 million self-driving vehicles plying the roads by 2030, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group. As a matter of consequence, another think tank, International Transport Forum, also predicts a loss of 50 to 70 percent of demand for drivers in the U.S. and Europe by 2030.
This is the sort of panic truly disruptive technology sows. However, experience tells us not to fear machines as we did on the eve of the Industrial Revolution and the many encounters mankind has had with artificial intelligence after that. Some technology analysts actually argue the opposite: The dawn of new technology will generate exponentially more jobs, but different kinds.
Driving jobs will take a hit, but the normalization of self-driving vehicles will also spur complementary industries. Manufacturing these vehicles will demand more warm bodies. As will industries directly expedited by the service of such technology. Retail, energy, construction, and other sectors will be faster and bigger, and their expansion will necessitate a more sizable workforce.
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| Image source: Huffpostmaghreb.com |
To be sure, there is still a lot to fear, foremost of which is getting the technology safe and on point. In fact, one of the primary goals of this technology is to reduce road accidents, which are largely attributed to human error.
We must not suppress self-driving cars if they’re the direction toward which innovation wants to go.
I am Taihwa Terry Ho and I believe in disruptive, serviceable innovations. For more similar reads, visit my blog.
