Research Paper on Societal Effects of Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Introduction

Autonomous vehicles are one of the most highly anticipated technological developments of our time, with potentially wide-ranging social implications. Partly due to the recent development in artificial intelligence across all industries, there are growing expectations among developers and their customers that fully autonomous driving could become a reality in the near future. Indeed, over the last century, both the economic and social impact of the human-driven automobile can never be overstated, however, with the current boom in artificial intelligence, car usage is going to transform dramatically, and is likely to have an equally huge impact on people's lives and the society. At present, there exist a number of high-end organizations across the globe that are competing tirelessly to become the first to develop a level 5, fully autonomous vehicle. The Daimler AG for instance, which is considered to be one of the top runners in the development of automated driving technologies has already installed some of the unique features of artificial intelligence in their vehicles. Even so, as with any disruptive technology, there will be significant social impacts on work, cities, lifestyle, and transportation in the stunning world of self-driving cars.

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As the idea of autonomous vehicle technology becomes a reality, cities are scrambling to get ready as the driverless car promises to reshape cities and urban landscape as we know it. Governments and city planners are already on the lookout, running robotic tests while imagining how life in their cities is going to be when those cities start to fill with cars that can largely think for themselves. Indeed, mobility is one significant determiner of what makes an urban place livable with people, ideas, resources, social interactions, and goods all depending on it. According to Millard-Ball (2018), cities and major urban centers are currently facing critical challenges in terms of congestion, safety, and accessibility. And rightly so, these challenges will only intensify as urban population increase day by day. For cities to remain livable, considering the expected surge in urban population growth across the globe, crucial interventions such as empowering the idea of innovative solutions, offering financial support and embracing new technologies must be taken seriously to help these cities evolve the concepts of mobility. For instance, Clements & Kockelman, (2017) show that autonomous vehicle technologies have the potential of cutting urban travel time by more than fifty percent. This, for example, will include a significant reduction of vehicles on already crowded urban centers. Again, the growing need for parking spaces will also decline since driverless cars do not need to pack unless dropping or when picking a passenger. Similarly, the emergence of autonomous vehicle technology is perceived to offer so much more than just increased movement in cities. Perhaps, the most valuable benefit they are perceived to have is on road safety. Currently, road accidents are some of the leading causes of death annually, however, the introduction of driverless cars is expected to reduce this number by almost 90 percent. This will significantly reduce road carelessness from drivers, thereby, improving the safety of city roads.

While the idea of autonomous vehicle technology itself provokes the fullest spectrum of imaginations and hopes, the question yet to be answered is its impact on the world of work and workplaces. Ideally, driverless cars have the potential to reshape workforces and workplaces in several ways. For instance, according to Levinson (2015), driverless technology has the potential of destroying some careers, but at the same time may be able to create new jobs. For example, employees such as truck drivers, taxi drivers, and even tourist bus drivers should worry about their future as autonomous vehicle technology heads straight towards public roads. However, the program will definitely need serious human programming and management, therefore creating new jobs for some individuals. Similarly, autonomous vehicle technology can be crucial in job creation as it may open opportunities for a diverse workforce in which older and disable people who were otherwise unable to commute to work using public transport can now hold their jobs down successfully. Additionally, driverless cars have the potential of reducing air and noise pollution as well as congestion by analyzing real-time data based on peak-hour overloads in the transport system, eventually minimizing the effects of rush hour on employees (Clements & Kockelman, 2017). Moreover, with autonomous vehicle technology, employees can now be flexible and free from such duties as taking kids to school or an elderly person to the hospital.

According to Levinson (2015), as huge car-manufacturing companies compete with new players to manufacture more sophisticated autonomous vehicles that the public love and trust, the way people live will definitely change. Overall, little is known about the public awareness of the impending transformation into a world of self-driving cars and potential impacts on the society, particularly on individual lifestyle. Even so, since automobiles are quite central to today's societies and economies; and so much part of people's everyday life, the switch to a driverless world is likely to alter individual lifestyles in different ways. For instance, autonomous vehicle technology promises independence as more people will be able to survive on their own. It will transform the lives of individuals who may be victims of illness, age or even disability. Of course, there are places which are lucky to have paratransit services, but not in all areas. And some of the conventional modes of transport may not accommodate wheelchairs. Similarly, people may decide to rethink their living arrangements when they do not have to drive. Generally, driving to work can be stressful, especially if one has to attend long distant events. With driverless cars, however, long commutes may be accepted because instead of focusing on the road, one may read, sleep or just relax as they head to their residential areas. Again, with driverless cars, people can now conduct some activities from their comfort. For example, some applications that require smart houses can now be done in one's car. People can order anything they want from Amazon while the car does the driving.

Understanding how autonomous vehicle technology will impact the transportation industry both in the short run and the long run needs an in-depth analysis of the pros of the driverless cars, alongside the cons faced by those involved in transport business. Currently, many people are in the transport industry are excited about the new opportunities that will arise with driverless trucks, but according to Litman (2015), these potential upsides come major transformations in how anyone involved in the transportation industry including freight brokers, customers and manufacturers make money. One opportunity that comes with autonomous trucks is that shippers can now use the off hours, especially overnight to deliver goods, therefore minimizing lateness often caused by human drivers. Similarly to the businesses, driverless trucks promises some level of margin back to the business as fuel costs and labor expenses will be reduced by almost half. In the long run, these cost-saving components may improve the overall performance of the businesses. In addition, autonomous trucks can significantly improve the efficiency of operations, especially in freight as it eliminates the factor in the tedious process of managing and scheduling of shipments from one place to another. Despite that, some of the counter-arguments against driverless trucks revolve around the issue of unemployment. He freight industry, for instance, has millions of truckers, but with autonomous trucks, all these truck drivers will be eliminated from the equation, leaving many without gainful employment. Still, according to Kalra (2017), autonomous trucks can pose threats from technology as it will use the same computer interconnections managing personal rides, deliveries, and pickups. If these programs are hacked, the impact of such large vehicles could be catastrophic.

Conclusion

In conclusion, just like any disruptive technology, there can be significant social impacts of autonomous vehicle technology on work, cities, lifestyle, and transportation. In cities, for instance, the travel time can be cut by more than half. Safety and reduced need for parking spaces can also be a significant change. In workplaces and on work, autonomous vehicle technology can destroy and as well as create other jobs. As evidence suggests some jobs such as truck driving can be eliminated from the equation but can have a positive impact on the businesses involved in the freight industry. Moreover, the technology can have a tremendous impact on people's lifestyles in terms of residence, shopping, and independence.

References

Clements, L. M., & Kockelman, K. M. (2017). Economic effects of automated vehicles. Transportation Research Record, 2606(1), 106-114.

Kalra, N. (2017). Challenges and Approaches to Realizing Autonomous Vehicle Safety. RAND.

Levinson, D. (2015). Climbing mount next: the effects of autonomous vehicles on society. Minn. JL Sci. & Tech., 16, 787.

Litman, T. (2015). Autonomous vehicle implementation predictions: Implications for transport planning (No. 15-3326).

Millard-Ball, A. (2018). Pedestrians, autonomous vehicles, and cities. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 38(1), 6-12.