Assembly Member Elly Baker has called on the Mayor of London to broaden the scope of his newly announced Artificial Intelligence Taskforce to examine the full employment impact of automation, including the potential disruption posed by autonomous vehicles to the capital’s taxi and private hire workforce, says Taxi Point.

In a letter to Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, Baker welcomed the creation of the AI Taskforce but pressed for its remit to go further. She highlighted that more than 100,000 Londoners are employed in the taxi and private hire sector and warned that driverless vehicle technology could present a substantial risk to those roles.

Baker wrote that while artificial intelligence is expected to reshape the labour market in the years ahead, it is “only one of several technological developments already affecting jobs”. She pointed specifically to autonomous vehicles as an example of automation that could directly affect livelihoods across the capital’s licensed transport workforce.

The London Assembly Member said workers need clarity about how technological change could affect their future employment prospects. She urged the Mayor to ensure that the AI Taskforce examines the wider employment impacts of automation, including autonomous vehicles, or alternatively to establish a parallel forum or working group to assess the risks and develop a safeguarding plan.

The discussion places the taxi and private hire sector firmly within the broader debate about the future of work in London. The capital’s licensed taxi drivers and private hire vehicle operators form a significant part of the city’s transport ecosystem, providing regulated passenger services that supports night-time economy activity and first and last mile connectivity.

(Picture: Olga Gonzalez)