Driverless Cars, AI, Will Upend Labor Law

A seemingly alarmed International Bar Association has released a report that says current labor and employment law is not capable of addressing the onslaught of issues that will arise as the result of artificial intelligence. “The AI phenomenon is on an exponential curve, while legislation is doing its best on an incremental basis,” said Gerlind Wisskirchen, IBA GEI Vice Chair for Multinationals and coordinator of the report. “New labour and employment legislation is urgently needed to keep pace with increased automation.” The report, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Their Impact on the Workplace,” maintains, for example, that there is a 90 percent certainty that in the long run autonomous vehicles will replace truck, taxi and forklift jobs. It also says that because of Europe’s more stringent regulations, the U.S has taken the lead in this technology and is likely to be able to bring products in the field to market faster that its European counterparts. However, the report also notes that in all jurisdictions there is one issue that will be a major, and possibly insurmountable obstacle, to the introduction of fully autonomous driving. That is the question of liability, and how it will be apportioned among “driver,” owner and manufacturer.