There’s a driverless car on the way from California to the East Coast – today. Right now.
As of now, the computerized Audi is three days into the trek; using “four short-range radars, three vision-based cameras, six lidars, a localization system, intelligent software algorithms and a full suite of Advanced Drive Assistance Systems” to navigate safely and efficiently on city streets, highways, parking lots, and all manner of other paved surfaces.
This isn’t just a “wow that’s cool” thing.
It portends huge changes in employment in this country – and others.
Traffic accidents kill about 32,000 people a year and injure over 2 million more. Property damage is in the scores of billions of dollars.
So, the computers driving vehicles don’t have to be perfect – they just have to be better than we texting, drinking, tired, distracted, angry, dumb, oh-so-human humans. Doesn’t sound like much of a challenge for devices that crush we humans in chess, medicine, and Jeopardy
There’s no question – none at all – that automated transport will dominate within two decades – and will be common far before then. Here’s my superficial sense for what that means.
- millions of jobs are going away – drivers, body shop techs, spare part manufacturers, auto adjusters, claims personnel. There are 2.4 million truck drivers…
- some jobs will be created – programmers, radar experts, robot polishers, things I can’t even conceive of.
What does this mean for you?
What’s going to happen to those newly-unemployed? Where are they going to get new jobs? What will those jobs pay? If a worker is about to be computerized out of a job, are they going to be more likely to file a work comp claim?
The same is likely in the health care industry whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling on subsidies. all those clerical and other low paid jobs will disappear as insurance companies streamline their systems. it is already happening.
Joe – I couldn’t agree more with your perspective here. Technology in robotics and software is fixing to geometrically change the way of life in the next few years. This will also spur a rash of new jobs to care for and continue to develop this new technology. Spot on analysis.