India Nixes AVs on Jobs Concern

India’s Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari says as long as it’s up to him, AVs will remain banned in India—not because he thinks they’re unsafe or insufficiently developed, but because he doesn’t want to risk throwing any drivers out of work.

But is that the real reason? Perhaps not. An analysis in Indian technology news channel Fossbytes suggests there’s a world full of data showing that adopting new automation technology actually increases the number of available jobs, and there are more directly pragmatic reasons India isn’t ready for AVs: even in built-up areas, “basic infrastructure like fully functional traffic ligths, clearly highlighted [pedestrian] crossings, and traffic signs are not present (…) on a road without proper infrastructure, the AI would be much less competent in its operation.”, says the author.

Moreover, because most AVs are EVs, there’s another obstacle: India hasn’t got much of an EV charging infrastructure.