Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
A Waymo autonomous vehicle. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Several of the leading companies developing autonomous vehicles are planning a Washington push to calm fears that the technology will radically reshape the nature of work, including the elimination of driving-focused jobs.
Why it matters: Automation powered by new developments in robotics and artificial intelligence is both a business opportunity for these companies and a potential public-relations nightmare, if they are seen as responsible for large-scale unemployment.
The details:
- Members of the new Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity include Silicon Valley powers like Alphabet’s Waymo, Uber and Lyft alongside traditional automakers Ford, Daimler and Toyota Motor North America. The American Trucking Associations and FedEx are also part of the effort.
- In a release, the group noted that "autonomous vehicles may change aspects of certain occupations and may result in a reduction in the need for others over time."
- Maureen Westphal, a communications consultant who is executive director of the new effort, said the group of companies planned to conduct some “fact finding discussions with stakeholders here in DC” as well as around the country. She said she couldn’t yet speak to the group’s policy priorities.
What they’re saying: “The member companies leading the coalition really believe that while we work out these practical problems, we also need to focus on the individual worker and what the AV future means for them,” said Westphal.
The bottom line: Automation will become a more prominent issue as self-driving technology gets closer to consumers, so the companies driving potential job displacement are trying to get ahead of it.
Go deeper: Read Axios' recent deep dive on automation
Editor's note: This was clarified to show that a reference to the group's "priorities" was referring specifically to policy priorities.