The Dark Side of China's AI Ambitions The recent malfunction of driverless taxis in Wuhan has exposed a ticking time bomb in China's labor market: the consequences of embracing artificial intelligence without considering its impact on workers' livelihoods.
As China accelerates its AI development, it becomes increasingly clear that the benefits are being reaped by tech giants and investors while ordinary people like taxi drivers Yao Xinnong are left to pick up the pieces.
Yao's experience is not unique. With over 40% of China's workforce already employed in precarious gig economy jobs, the rollout of robotaxis has been a major blow to their livelihoods.