Uber's CEO thinks robotaxis will displace drivers in 10 to 15 years and create 'a big, big societal question'

"Khosrowshahi spoke about the issue onstage this monthat a summit hosted by the "All-In" podcast, which posted a video of the conversation on Wednesday. At the summit, Khosrowshahi was asked about concerns that gig workers, who have played a key role in Uber's development,will eventually lose their jobs as self-driving cars become more prevalent. The Uber CEO said he expects human drivers to continue working alongside self-driving cars in Uber's network in the coming years."

""For the next five to seven years, we're going to have more human drivers and delivery people, just because we're going so quickly," Khosrowshahi said. "But, I think, 10 to 15 years from now, this is going to be a real issue," he said about drivers losing their jobs. Khosrowshahi said he doesn't have a "neat answer" for the problem."

"As the use of artificial intelligence has grown, so have worries about the technology replacing humans in various industries. That includes people who drive as gig workers for apps like Uber and Lyft. Early results from Uber's partnership with Waymo, which has robotaxis cars on the streets of Atlanta and Austin, suggest that the self-driving vehicles are more efficient than most human drivers."

Human drivers and delivery people are expected to remain common in ride-hailing networks for the next five to seven years as autonomous deployment scales. Over a 10- to 15-year horizon, autonomous vehicles could displace many drivers, raising major societal questions about job loss and workforce transition with no clear solution. Ride-hailing platforms already run driverless rides through partnerships with robotaxi providers on city streets. Early results from such partnerships indicate autonomous vehicles can be more efficient than typical human drivers. Some gig drivers express limited concern, questioning autonomous systems' ability to handle everyday driving obstacles.

Read at Business Insider