business

Oh, Yay! Austin Gets Robot Food Delivery Because Human Jobs Aren't Worth Saving!

Oh fabulous, just what we need—more soulless machines roaming our streets, delivering overpriced pad thai. Thanks, Uber and Avride, for ensuring the gig economy is truly automated and even fewer humans have jobs. Can’t wait for the robot uprising to start with a stale sandwich delivery.

Published October 9, 2024 at 11:35am by Beck Andrew Salgado

Uber Jumps on the Robot Bandwagon, Promises Not to Screw This Up

Oh joy, just what we've always wanted! Uber is inching ever closer to a dystopian future where robots rule the roads. They've just announced a deal with Avride, an autonomous vehicle company. Buckle up, folks!

In a press release filled with more enthusiasm than a kid in a candy store, Avride CEO Dmitry Polishchuk gushed, “We are excited to partner with Uber as we scale our operations and work together to further improve the delivery experience for both consumers and merchants. We plan to expand the total fleet of Avride robots operating within Uber Eats to hundreds in 2025, followed by the launch of our robotaxi service."

What Will Robot Delivery Services Look Like?

Initially, expect sidewalk robots to take over. Austin will be the lucky first city to experience this futuristic nightmare, with plans to expand to Dallas and Jersey City, NJ, later this year. Because why let Texas have all the fun, right?

Autonomous car-based deliveries through Uber and Uber Eats are scheduled for next year, starting in Dallas. So, if you're craving a burger but prefer it delivered by a robot, you're in luck!

Avride says that after launch, if you request a qualifying delivery or ride on the Uber Eats or Uber apps, you might get the option to have that trip fulfilled by an Avride delivery robot or autonomous vehicle. How thrilling!

Waymo and Uber Bring Driverless Rides to Austin

Last month, Waymo and Uber announced they're expanding their driverless rideshare program to Austin. The service, called the Waymo One experience, is already running in three U.S. cities and will launch in Austin and Atlanta early next year. Because who needs human interaction anyway?

When driverless rides start, they'll be using Waymo’s fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. Both companies plan to grow the fleet to hundreds of vehicles over time. Woohoo, more robots!

Beck Andrew Salgado covers trending topics in the Austin business ecosystem for the American-Statesman. To share additional tips or insights with Salgado, email Bsalgado@gannett.com.