Vandalism of food delivery robots draws attention to AI concerns

In short: As sidewalk food-delivery robots show up in more cities, viral videos of people harassing them are focusing attention on public unease about automation.

What's going on

Videos and local reports from Philadelphia show people sitting on, graffitiing, kicking, and tipping over Uber Eats delivery robots operated by Avride. In one case in Center City, a robot was kicked and toppled. Police said this kind of vandalism could lead to criminal mischief charges, although they were not investigating the reported incidents at the time.

This behavior is not entirely new. Delivery robots have dealt with pranks and damage for years in different US cities. Serve Robotics’ CEO told Semafor that interference affected fewer than 1% of 100,000 trips, and that the company usually treats damage like a maintenance problem, unless there is a safety concern. These numbers come from the company, not an independent count.

The robots can trigger strong reactions because they are a visible form of automation in shared public space. For some people, they raise worries about jobs, since a robot can feel like a stand-in for a human worker. Others point to practical problems, like robots blocking sidewalks for people with wheelchairs, canes, or strollers.

Privacy is another concern. Robots often use cameras and sensors to navigate, like a car using headlights and mirrors to avoid obstacles, and that can make people wonder what is being recorded. Some incidents may also be ordinary vandalism or attempts to get attention online.

What to watch

Cities and companies may face growing pressure to set clear rules for where robots can go, how they behave around pedestrians, and what data their cameras collect. Viral clips can make the problem look bigger than it is, so it will matter whether reliable reporting shows attacks becoming more common.

Source: NYTimes