I wasn’t looking to be inspired when I called for an Uber to the airport. I was flying to an industry conference and simply wanted safe transportation — and the opportunity to unwind from an already busy morning at work.
But the ride proved eye-opening and put some things in needed perspective. As I waited for Christopher to arrive, I noticed an icon in the app that I hadn’t seen previously. It explained that Christopher was recording in his car for added safety. Interesting.
Christopher was a bit older than me and was wearing thick-rimmed glasses. He was big and strong and effortlessly lifted my bag and put it in the trunk; it wouldn’t have surprised me if he told me he was a landscaper or construction worker earlier in his career. When I got in the car, he asked me for the security PIN. I wasn’t expecting that, as I’d only had to use it with Uber a handful of times when traveling in other countries. But I checked the app and quickly passed the number on to him.
Our conversation quickly delved in deeper than the typical rideshare conversation about the day and the weather when he asked what I did for work. He then peppered me with questions about journalism today and the influence of AI. After we discussed AI for a bit, he mentioned that he was getting ready to retire, which seemed to click with his age.
Then came the pivot.
“Retire from Uber, that is,” he told me. “I’m working on my FAA 107 drone pilot’s license.” This was a pleasant surprise. We talked the specifics of the licensure and drones’ myriad uses beyond many people’s perception of them as kids’ toys.
Christopher and I spoke about the new jobs opening up that were related to drones — from helping real estate agents sell homes to assisting police in following fleeing suspects. Commercial drone pilots can also get involved in things as varied as quoting gutter cleaning and window washing to surveying areas for future geological use.
An Uber driver thinks about drones. Image generated by AI.
“If you want to make money, you can find your next job or create it,” he said. “Think about what you like to do, and figure out a way to apply technology, be it AI or drones or robotics or whatever.”
These days, I hear a lot of people bemoaning AI, robotics, and other technological advances. Many stick to the old “these innovations are stealing jobs” mantra. They rarely consider the new (usually better) jobs that technology is creating. They don’t pine for ditch diggers or elevator operators or telephone switchboard people. And they don’t think of people like Christopher, a person who many (myself included) might have written off as someone who’d never adapt, much less come out ahead.
Before I got out of the car at the airport, Christopher pointed to his glasses and told me they were the Meta-enabled ones — and started explaining all the ways he uses them. Then he caught my eye in the rearview mirror.
“These would be great for a journalist,” he said, smiling broadly.
Filed Under: Commentaries • insights • Technical thinking
