Waymo and Uber were providing robotaxi service in Austin. Now they have officially launched it in Atlanta. Until 2020, Uber was developing its robotaxi, but due to several controversies, the project was shut down and transferred to another company called Aurora, and later on, it partnered with Waymo.
Uber, which has locked in partnerships with 18 autonomous vehicles companies, said it has an annual run-rate of 1.5 million mobility. Meanwhile, Waymo said it provides 250,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. The addition of Atlanta to that list should push those numbers up.
The users can access Waymo’s robotaxi drive feature using the Uber App. Uber users can set their preferences in the app to increase the chances of being matched with a Waymo. When an Uber user is notified they’ve been matched with a Waymo, they can choose to accept or switch to a human-driven ride. Once the robotaxi arrives, riders will use the Uber app to unlock the vehicle, open the trunk, and start the trip.This advancement shows that Uber is a robotaxi platform too.
The advancement in robotaxis and their acceptance in different countries clearly shows that they are replacing jobs. Recently, Tesla also launched its robotaxi service in Austin. Companies are trying to win the race of AI development, but they forget about the people whose source of income is related to these jobs. If the rise of AI remains at this rate, soon we’ll see that machines will work all around.
Pope Leo also raises the alarm on AI. He said,
This serves as a reminder that artificial intelligence presents real challenges that require our attention, with autonomous vehicle development being a prime example of the obstacles we face.
