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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amy Hawkins in Wuhan

Could AI take your job? Some workers in China already know the answer

Workers and a robot prepare tea beside each other at a booth at the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum earlier this year. China’s rollout of AI has sparked concerns about the future of the jobs market.
Workers and a robot prepare tea beside each other at a booth at the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum earlier this year. China’s rollout of artificial intelligence has sparked concerns about the future of the jobs market. Photograph: Jessica Lee/EPA

On the tree-lined streets of Wuhan, where cars jostle for space with mopeds and cargo trucks, the malfunctioning of a new type of vehicle has recently been causing chaos on the city’s roads.

In March, several cars from a fleet of driverless taxis stopped abruptly in the streets. The “system malfunction” left distressed riders stranded for hours. The robotaxis, known as Apollo Go and powered by artificial intelligence (AI), were taken off Wuhan’s streets for months for investigations.

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