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Uber CEO announces that ride-hailing drivers' days are numbered. According to him, autonomous vehicles will dominate the streets, making the profession obsolete. The transportation revolution is closer than we think, and society needs to prepare for this inevitable transformation.
Autonomous driving is emerging as one of the most promising innovations, promising to transform the way we travel and redefine the future of urban transport.
Technology and mobility companies invest billions in developing vehicles that do not require human intervention, aiming for a future where artificial intelligence takes control of the streets.
Uber CEO predicts gradual transition to autonomous vehicles
During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi shares his vision for the future of ride-hailing.
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He stated that, in the next ten years, coexistence between human drivers and autonomous vehicles is expected.
However, over a 15 to 20 year horizon, Machines will be able to outperform humans in driving, accumulating hours of real training and eliminating distractions.
Currently, more than one million fatal accidents occur annually in global traffic. According to Khosrowshahi:
“In the next ten years, I believe we will have hybrid networks of human and machine drivers. But if you think about 15 or 20 years from now, the machine will be a better driver than the human because it will have hours of real training and will not be distracted.”
Impact on the labor market
Replacing drivers with autonomous systems will not occur abruptly.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that companies and authorities need to discuss the impact of this transformation on current occupations.
He acknowledges that There are no easy answers to this issue and it is a real problem that society needs to face..
“Replacing drivers with machines will occur, although it is not something that will happen tomorrow.”
Uber expands services to help drivers transition
A Uber has diversified its operations to assist drivers during this transition.
The company started with ride-hailing services, expanded into deliveries, introduced shopper and map labeler functions, essential for training artificial intelligence..
Additionally, consider offering training to help drivers with potential career or activity changes.
China and the US move forward with robotaxis
At the same time, countries such as China and the United States advance in testing “robotaxis” — driverless vehicles designed to transport people.
In China, companies such as Baidu and Didi (owner of 99) are already carrying out experiments. In the US, Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google's parent company), is conducting tests in California.
“In the US, Waymo, from Alphabet (the company that owns Google), has been carrying out experiments in California.”
Road safety and technology challenges
Studies indicate that autonomous vehicles can offer greater safety in traffic.
A study by the University of California analyzed 2.100 accidents involving self-driving cars and 35.000 with human drivers.
The results suggest that autonomous vehicles tend to adopt more effective safety precautions in most cases.
However, they are more prone to accidents at night or at dawn, which still represents a challenge for technology.
The future of work in the face of automation
The transition to autonomous vehicles also raises concerns about the future of work.
According to a model of the Oxford University, more than half of current occupations could disappear in the next two decades due to technological advances.
In Brazil, researchers estimate that 58,1% of formal jobs and 62% of informal jobs are at risk of extinction.
Pace of transformation divides experts
Experts differ on the pace of this transformation.
While Khosrowshahi believes ride-hailing drivers will lose ground within a decade, others argue that mass adoption of autonomous vehicles will face regulatory, technical and cultural barriers.
Uber is already preparing for this future, investing in research and partnerships to develop its autonomous fleet, aiming to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Khosrowshahi points out that the The massification of technology will begin with simpler routes and gradually expand to other areas.
Transformation of urban transport
The autonomous vehicle revolution promises to transform urban transport, bringing benefits such as greater safety and efficiency.
However, it also presents significant challenges, especially with regard to the impact on the labor market and the barriers to its large-scale adoption.
Society needs to prepare for these changes, promoting discussions and implementing policies that ensure a fair and balanced transition for everyone involved.
In my opinion, all drivers should stop driving for both apps now and start adapting to other functions. They will discard drivers without mercy, so why not do this to them now too?
Uber's CEO should keep quiet. He just ordered Uber's extinction before AI even took over transportation. He just forgot to say that AI will even take over his profession. Why have a person who constantly fails in his strategies with drivers? AI doesn't fail and it doesn't even take a decade for the CEO to be replaced by AI.
It's funny that these guys talk as if the driver wasn't a family man, working to support himself and his family. It's very inhumane. These things will lead to the collapse of humanity.
Driver **** detected lol.
It's high time Uber put an end to this WHORE of **** drivers choosing trips and canceling rides at random.
I've had countless headaches with this **** that took over the app.
**** parasitic! Full of **** disguised as “workers”. What the ****!
Uber Go!!!
I completely agree because besides being a bunch of inhumane people, Uber has more **** driving than good citizens, I say this with all letters because I almost lost my youngest daughter when she got in an Uber and he deviated from the route and tried to take her to a deserted wooded area. My daughter was desperate asking him to stop the car, but he didn't obey. Luckily, she got into a traffic jam, she took advantage of it, opened the car door and jumped out, thank God she escaped for a few days. Then it happened again almost the same way, and she realized and told the driver that she had forgotten all her documents and wallet with money at home. That's when he pulled over and she got out. Since then, she has never used any app-based car again. She bought her own car so she wouldn't have to depend on apps anymore because there are a lot of **** in Uber apps.