What it is: Self-driving cars will literally change the way society lives within a few decades.
Every new form of technology changes society. The printing press made reading and distribution of information affordable. The telephone eliminated telegraphs and the need for Morse code. The personal computer helped kill typewriters and adding machines along with eliminating typing pools in large companies.
Perhaps the biggest change coming soon will be self-driving cars. For ease of maintenance, self-driving cars will rely on electric or other forms of power rather than gasoline. That immediately jeopardizes gas stations and car mechanics trained to repair combustion engines. Self-driving ride-sharing services will kill the taxi industry along with the auto industry, not to mention the oil industries that feed oil to large numbers of vehicles.
Air pollution from cars will be reduced and as more people have time to relax rather than drive, they’ll have more free time to watch movies, read books, or listen to the radio, so those industries should increase. Of course, people will also play more video games or just use their computers while riding to work, much like people do today while riding trains.
Mass transit will be another casualty. Why take mass transit when a self-driving car can take you exactly where you want to go? Buses will likely lose riders along with light rail trolley systems just starting to gain popularity in many cities. People will likely rely on mass transit for long distance but ride-sharing for short distances.
Truck drivers will largely be replaced by self-driving trucks. With so much change on the horizon, it’s obvious that the future is coming. The only question is when?
if you’re currently in a business that relies on today’s gasoline powered cars, it’s time to look for alternatives. Whether you’re a car sales person, mechanic, taxi driver, or gas station owner, your future is in jeopardy. The smart people will make plans now while they have plenty of time to adjust.m Most people will simply ignore the future until they can’t ignore it any longer, and then it will be too late.
Don’t be like the masses that blissfully ignore the future and then complain when it finally arrives. (Think of coal miners waiting for their jobs to come back.) Self-driving cars will revolutionize the future so make plans now to be one of the winners instead of the large numbers of people who will lose and whine for the past to come back and magically make their lives back to the way they’re used to. It’s not going to happen and it never will. If you still think so, then try starting a company making slide rulers or repairing typewriters to see how far you’ll get.
To read more about the impact of self-driving cars, click here.