with driverless trucks because up to 60% of the expense is the driver. This in turn will accelerate the growth of online shopping and change the way we shop thanks to extremely small and effi - cient robo cars. Waslander anticipates a much larger range of vehicles on the roads. “Suddenly you don’t need space for humans to sit. You can customize vehicles based on what they’re transporting. We’ve already seen it with drones.” As with any disruptive technology, there are positives and
negatives. Commercial drivers will be the fi rst and most obvious workers affected, but there will also be less demand for auto body shops, insurance claims adjusters, insurance underwrit- ers, law enforcement offi cers, lawyers and the court system and accordingly less need for educational courses and certifi cations in these areas. Eventually, as the number of devastating auto- mobile accidents decreases, the need for trauma doctors and nurses will also be reduced, as will the demand for physiothera- pists and long-term care workers. Professionals designing and implementing software and
incorporating other technology solutions into self-driving cars will require extensive standards and assurance. Robotic stan- dards will need to be developed on a global basis to ensure automobile interoperability and interconnectivity. US President Barack Obama recently encouraged the auto industry to develop such standards for car-to-car communications. Governments and educational institutions will have to plan
carefully for a potentially smaller and more competitive labour market — one that demands more specialized skills. For example, mapping will be a growth area as the need for highly secure and accurate mapping data becomes a must. With increasing connectivity, the ability to keep cars safe from hacking attacks will be critical. “Highly specialized service, maintenance and systems-integration businesses for these vehicles will emerge,” says Matt Rendall, CEO and cofounder of Kitchener, Ont.-based Clearpath Robotics. “There is a popular school of thought that the automobile of
the future will be the largest consumer electronic device you own. In an extreme sense, a self-driving vehicle is a smartphone on wheels,” says Rendall. In this near-utopian society with driverless cars making us
more productive, less stressed and less likely to be involved in an automobile accident, there will still be people who enjoy being at the wheel on a sunny day, with the top down and a winding road ahead — just for the thrill of driving. Thankfully, the chairman of Audi envisions a future where we can still drive for fun but go into automatic mode for commuting. That sounds pretty good.
ROBERT G. PARKER, CPA, FCA, MBA, CISA, CRISA, CMC, is a member of CPA Canada’s information management and technology advisory committee
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JUNE/JULY 2015 | CPA MAGAZINE | 33
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