By Josie Barker
With the recent surge in artificial intelligence (AI) usage, jobs possessed by fellow humans are displaced by these robotic minds. On the one hand, AI is a powerful driver of job creation. It has paved the way for new roles, but this topic is a double-edged sword. Additionally, while AI assists in enhancing productivity and creating new tasks for the cooperation of both humans and artificial intelligence, on the other side of the coin, it also causes the replacement of human-held jobs.
In the 1920s, concepts for autonomous vehicles emerged, but the first truly “modern” self-driving cars appeared in the 1980s, following the previous 1920s, radio-controlled automobiles. In 2009, the Google Self-Driving Car project emerged, but it wasn’t officially titled Waymo until 2016. Waymo’s debut of commercial self-driving car service officially began in 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. Furthermore, the introduction of autonomous freight in California began in San Francisco, followed shortly by the spreading in Los Angeles in November of 2024. Whether you are a Waymo or Zoox kind of person is completely arbitrary; nonetheless, these metal-minds lead to prospective gains such as mobility, safety, and most notably, accessibility.
Now, these self-driving cars are likely to take over the global transportation sector, especially with their efficient driving, which in fact reduces fuel consumption and limits emissions. However, despite this argument, these “logical” services may not be as eco-friendly as reported. It is noteworthy to state that although these transportation systems are potential substitutes for some not-so-green practices. Self-driving vehicles may induce levels of convenience, but on the flip side, the increase in driving causes more traffic, prompting the rising levels of energy consumption. Additionally, Waymo car usage contributes to the increase in total Vehicle Miles Traveled, leading to suburban sprawl, as well as infrastructure strain—a process that requires the input of more roads and parking to compensate for the escalating amount of driving, in place leaving behind a colossal carbon footprint concerning construction.
Truthfully, I’ve been on the fence with the emergence of these cars. However, the usage of these autonomous vehicles certainly is starting to push me to one side. Talk about self-driving semi trucks rubs me the wrong way for a few reasons. For one, long hauls without an attentive driver seem like the grounds for smuggling. Additionally, the recent exposure of driverless vehicles leaves a door open for hacking, but regardless of that extremely sketchy factor, think about the liability issues with these autonomous services: who’s at fault?
I’m sure you’ve all seen an AI glitch. Whether it be with a generation of a photo where it appears grandma has 7 fingers, why wouldn’t it make sense for artificial intelligence to struggle with complex situations on the road? Waymo isn’t excused from traffic violations. Hypothetically, maybe you can’t drive because of your 0.09% Blood Alcohol Concentration, but your empty driver-seated taxi sure swerves as if it had a few. Robo-cars appear to hold a good grip on safety and reliability; however, these driverless vehicles seem to get in the way more often than not. In San Francisco, police were puzzled when realizing there was no way to punish the autonomous car that had done an illegal U-turn because “citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot.’” Furthermore, Waymo has gained quite a bit of internet traction after a “Waymo driverless taxi drove a passenger into an apparent police standoff in downtown Los Angeles.” Additionally, multiple self-driving vehicles decided to drive themselves into Arizona floodwaters, causing their operations to come to a temporary halt. Not to mention the numerous “pranksters” figuring out the simplicity of covering robo taxi sensors, further indicating the downsides of these transportation operations. Truly, it only takes one traffic cone on top of a detector to eschew the autocabs’ original transit. It’s in human nature to make mistakes, but apparently, this rule follows the android life as well. We can’t expect reprogramming to deter all road mishaps, because frankly, they will always occur, AI or not.
Another popular argument seems to state that Waymo presents proficiency compared to its Uber enemy. Nonetheless, this logic is false, and these staffed on-demand transporters offer shorter pickup times. On the flip side, while Waymo is short on efficiency, it makes up in convenience, because unlike a real life driver, autonomous cars don’t come with the con of cancelling your trip.
With the constant rate regarding displacement of human drivers with robotic amenities, more professions run by authentic persons will soon be overthrown by our mechanical counterparts. Despite whether you are for or against AI, it’s staying regardless, so how will the rise of artificial presence impact you?