中国自动驾驶稳步崛起:科技向善,从不辜负普通人 | 经济学人双语学习笔记 | Human-first

The Economist | May 11th 2026

今天的文章聚焦中国自动驾驶的快速发展，以青岛、武汉为例，拆解无人车、无人机的部署现状，同时直击技术发展与就业保护的核心矛盾，剖析企业、政府与司机的三方磨合。一起来学习自动驾驶的行业动态叭~

标题部分

China wants more robots but not fewer workers

A human-first approach to automation

中国既要大力发展智能机器人，也力求稳住大众就业

一场以人为本的自动化发展思路

• robots /ˈrəʊbɒts/n. 机器人、无人设备；Robots are widely used in delivery services. 机器人被广泛用于配送服务

• workers /ˈwɜːkəz/n. 劳动者、就业人员；The policy aims to protect ordinary workers. 该政策旨在保护普通劳动者

• human-first /ˈhjuːmən fɜːst/adj. 以人为本的；The city adopts a human-first development model. 这座城市采用以人为本的发展模式

• automation /ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃn/n. 自动化、智能化；Automation is reshaping modern industries. 自动化正在重塑现代产业

正文部分

A year ago the city of Qingdao had just a handful of autonomous vehicles. Now it has more than almost anywhere else on Earth. One firm, Neolix, has put around 1,200 unmanned delivery vans on local roads; it hopes to have 4,000 by the end of the year. With several other autonomous taxi and food-delivery projects also under way, Qingdao exemplifies how rapidly artificial intelligence is transforming China. It is also the front line of the clash between unmanned vehicles and drivers.

一年前，青岛市的自动驾驶车辆还寥寥无几。如今，这里的数量却已超过全球绝大多数地区。仅新石器慧通（Neolix）一家企业，就在当地道路上投放了约1200辆无人配送车，并计划到年底增至4000辆。随着自动驾驶出租车与外卖配送等多个项目同步推进，青岛成为人工智能正如何快速改变中国的缩影。同时，这里也是无人车与人类司机之间冲突的最前线。

• handful of /ˈhændfʊl ɒv/ 短语 少数、寥寥无几；There are only a handful of students in the classroom. 教室里只有少数几个学生

• exemplifies /ɪɡˈzemplɪfaɪz/ v. 是……的缩影、举例说明；This city exemplifies the rapid development of the region. 这座城市是该地区快速发展的缩影

• under way /ˈʌndə weɪ/ 短语 正在进行中；The new project is already under way. 新项目已经在推进中

• front line /frʌnt laɪn/ 短语 最前线、前沿；Doctors are on the front line of fighting the disease. 医生们奋战在抗击疾病的最前线

• clash /klæʃ/ n. 冲突、争执；There is a clash between traditional and modern values. 传统与现代价值观之间存在冲突

Autonomous cars and drones are being deployed in China at a dizzying pace. About 33,000 short-range delivery vehicles, including the ones in Qingdao, were on Chinese roads at the end of 2025. The number of unmanned cabs is expected to hit 14,000 by the end of 2026. Goldman Sachs, a bank, reckons that more than 700,000 robotaxis (meaning 12% of all ride-hailing services) will roam Chinese cities within five years. Meituan, a delivery super-app, believes it could use drones for 10% of the country’s instant food deliveries, of which 60bn were made last year.

在中国，自动驾驶汽车与无人机正以令人眩晕的速度投入使用。截至2025年底，包括青岛在内，中国道路上的短途配送车辆约有3.3万辆。到2026年底，无人驾驶出租车数量预计将达到1.4万辆。高盛银行估算，五年内将有超过70万辆自动驾驶出租车（占所有网约车服务的12%）在中国城市行驶。外卖超级平台美团则认为，无人机可承担全国10%的即时食品配送业务——去年这类订单总量达60亿单。

• deployed /dɪˈplɔɪd/ v. 部署、投入使用；The army deployed more soldiers to the border. 军队向边境部署了更多士兵

• dizzying pace /ˈdɪziɪŋ peɪs/ 短语 令人眩晕的速度、极快的速度；The company is developing at a dizzying pace. 这家公司正以极快的速度发展

• hit /hɪt/ v. 达到（数量）；The temperature will hit 35 degrees today. 今天气温将达到35度

• reckons /ˈrekənz/ v. 估算、认为；I reckon it will take two hours to finish the work. 我估计完成这项工作需要两小时

• roam /rəʊm/ v. 漫游、穿梭；Wild animals roam freely in the forest. 野生动物在森林里自由漫游

Though each such delivery is a technological miracle, in the short run it may deprive a human driver of a fare. This puts Chinese leaders in a bind: they want to lead the world in AI and automation but not destroy jobs. An economic plan for the next five years, released in March, says the country must “prevent and resolve large-scale unemployment risks”. In April a cyber-security watchdog told developers in a draft document that they should “not apply AI with the goal of replacing human employment”. There is no precedent for such a request in Chinese AI regulation, points out Tom Nunlist of Trivium China, a research firm.

尽管每一次无人配送都是技术奇迹，但短期来看，它可能会抢走人类司机的生意。这让人陷入两难：既要在人工智能与自动化领域引领全球，又不想造成大规模失业。今年3月发布的五年经济规划明确提出，必须“防范化解大规模失业风险”。4月，网络安全监管机构在一份文件草案中对开发者表示，不得“以替代人类就业为目的应用人工智能”。研究机构Trivium China的汤姆·恩姆利斯特指出，在中国人工智能监管史上，此类要求尚无先例。

• miracle /ˈmɪrəkl/ n. 奇迹、不可思议的事；The recovery of the patient is a miracle. 这位病人的康复是个奇迹

• deprive /dɪˈpraɪv/ v. 剥夺、使失去；Lack of sleep deprives people of energy. 睡眠不足会让人们失去精力

• fare /feə(r)/ n. 车费、报酬；He paid the taxi fare and got off. 他付了出租车费然后下了车

• bind /baɪnd/ n. 两难境地、困境；She was in a bind about whether to accept the offer. 她在是否接受这份工作上陷入两难

• unemployment /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ n. 失业、失业人数；High unemployment is a serious social problem. 高失业率是一个严重的社会问题

• watchdog /ˈwɒtʃdɒɡ/ n. 监管机构、监督者；The watchdog is responsible for protecting consumers' rights. 该监管机构负责保护消费者权益

• precedent /ˈpresɪdənt/ n. 先例、前例；This case sets a new precedent for future trials. 这个案件为未来的审判树立了新的先例

The first question is whether technology will be able to replace millions of drivers in short order. Projects have been launched in dozens of Chinese cities, but growth has slowed owing to worries over congestion and technical glitches. No company has deployed more than 1,200 vehicles in any one city. The size of Neolix’s fleet in Qingdao has fluctuated in response to traffic jams caused by its vans. Although these are permitted to drive at any time, they have been restricted to actually making deliveries only in off-peak daytime hours. Even so, on an April morning near a large wholesale market, bands of Neolix vehicles could be seen clogging up the road to honks and jeers.

第一个问题是：技术能否迅速取代数百万司机？中国已有数十个城市启动相关项目，但出于对交通拥堵和技术故障的担忧，扩张速度已放缓。尚无任何企业在单一城市投放超过1200辆车。新石器在青岛的车队规模，也因车辆造成的拥堵而时增时减。尽管这些车辆获准全天行驶，但实际配送仅被允许在白天非高峰时段进行。即便如此，4月的一个清晨，在一处大型批发市场附近，仍能看到成群的新石器无人车堵塞道路，引来一片鸣笛与不满。

• short order /ʃɔːt ˈɔːdə/ 短语 迅速、尽快；The work will be finished in short order. 这项工作将很快完成

• congestion /kənˈdʒestʃən/ n. 拥堵、阻塞；Traffic congestion is common in big cities. 交通拥堵在大城市很常见

• glitches /ɡlɪtʃɪz/ n. 故障、小毛病；The system has some technical glitches. 这个系统有一些技术故障

• fluctuated /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪd/ v. 波动、起伏；The price of oil has fluctuated recently. 最近油价一直在波动

• restricted to /rɪˈstrɪktɪd tuː/ 短语 被限制在……；Access is restricted to authorized personnel only. 仅限授权人员进入

• clogging up /klɒɡɪŋʌp/ 短语 堵塞、阻塞；Leaves are clogging up the drain. 树叶堵塞了下水道

• honks and jeers /hɒŋks ænd dʒɪəz/ 短语 鸣笛声与嘲笑声；The crowd greeted him with honks and jeers. 人群用鸣笛声和嘲笑声迎接他

In the city of Wuhan, home to one of the world’s biggest robotaxi trials, autonomous vehicles have also jammed traffic. Baidu, a tech giant and Wuhan’s main operator of driverless taxis, has kept the size of its fleet at around 1,000 for well over a year. It may be stuck there for a while. In March dozens of Baidu’s cabs suddenly froze, snarling up traffic and prompting a rescue effort for stranded passengers. Since then the central government has suspended the issuance of new licences for robotaxis.

在全球最大规模自动驾驶出租车试点城市之一的武汉，自动驾驶车辆同样造成了交通拥堵。科技巨头、武汉自动驾驶出租车主要运营商百度，其车队规模一年多来一直维持在1000辆左右，且可能会在这个规模上停留一段时间。今年3月，数十辆百度自动驾驶出租车突然故障停运，造成交通堵塞，并引发对被困乘客的救援行动。从那以后，暂停了自动驾驶出租车新牌照的发放。

• stuck /stʌk/ adj. 被困住的、停滞的；The car is stuck in the mud. 汽车陷在泥里了

• froze /frəʊz/ v. 冻结、故障停运；The computer suddenly froze and couldn’t work. 电脑突然死机，无法运行

• snarling up /ˈsnɑːlɪŋʌp/ 短语 使堵塞、使陷入混乱；An accident snarled up the traffic. 一场事故造成了交通堵塞

• stranded /ˈstrændɪd/ adj. 被困的、滞留的；We helped the stranded tourists find shelter. 我们帮助被困的游客找到了住处

• suspended /səˈspendɪd/ v. 暂停、中止；The school suspended classes due to the storm. 学校因暴风雨暂停了课程

• issuance /ˈɪʃjuəns/ n. 发放、颁布；The issuance of new passports has been delayed. 新护照的发放已被推迟

A second question is which jobs are threatened and which are safe in the longer run. Authorities in Qingdao are not worried about unemployment caused by Neolix, says Wang Honglei, a company executive. In fact, senior officials in the wider Shandong province want as many as 15,000 driverless short-delivery vehicles on the road by the end of 2027. One reason for the insouciance is the sort of human drivers these might displace. Neolix runs only business-to-business services, such as picking up meat at markets and delivering it to restaurants. Many people in this line of work are in their 60s and drive small, three-wheeled vehicles with a knack fortipping over in traffic. Few young people seek to replace them when they retire because the perilous work also pays poorly and entail a lot of heavy lifting. This makes machines the obvious choice for the job.

第二个问题是：从长远来看，哪些工作会受到威胁，哪些工作是安全的？新石器公司高管王洪雷表示，青岛当局并不担心该公司造成的失业问题。事实上，山东省高层官员希望到2027年底，道路上能有多达1.5万辆无人驾驶短途配送车。这种不在意的态度，原因之一在于这些无人车可能取代的人类司机群体。新石器仅提供企业对企业的服务，比如从市场取肉并配送到餐厅。从事这类工作的人大多60多岁，驾驶着在车流中容易翻车的小型三轮车。他们退休后，很少有年轻人愿意接替这份工作——因为这份工作危险、薪水低，还需要大量重体力劳动。这使得机器成为这份工作的最佳选择。

• executive /ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ n. 高管、管理者；The company executive made an important decision. 公司高管做出了一项重要决定

• insouciance /ɪnˈsuːsiəns/ n. 不在意、漫不经心；His insouciance about the problem surprised everyone. 他对这个问题的不在意让所有人都很惊讶

• displace /dɪsˈpleɪs/ v. 取代、替代；Machines have displaced many workers in the factory. 工厂里机器已经取代了许多工人

• knack for /næk fɔː(r)/ 短语 有……的诀窍、容易……；He has a knack for making people laugh. 他有逗人发笑的本事

• tipping over /ˈtɪpɪŋˈəʊvə(r)/ 短语 翻车、倾倒；The box tipped over and the contents fell out. 箱子翻了，里面的东西掉了出来

• perilous /ˈperələs/ adj. 危险的、冒险的；It’s a perilous journey through the mountains. 穿越山脉是一段危险的旅程

• entails /ɪnˈteɪlz/ v. 需要、牵涉；The job entails working long hours. 这份工作需要长时间工作

Drivers who ferry people to their destinations and packages to consumers are a different matter. Tech platforms employ around 22m such workers; many more drive city cabs. The platform jobs are generally filled by young, rural migrants in cities and people who have lost work in other industries. Youth unemployment is already high and officials do not want to make it worse.

而接送乘客、为消费者配送包裹的司机，则是另一回事。科技平台雇佣了约2200万名这类工人，还有更多人驾驶城市出租车。平台相关工作大多由城市里的年轻农村务工人员和其他行业的失业人员承担。青年失业率本就居高不下，官员们不愿让情况变得更糟。

• ferry /ˈferi/ v. 运送、摆渡；The bus ferries passengers between the two cities. 这辆巴士在两个城市之间运送乘客

• migrants /ˈmaɪɡrənts/ n. 移民、务工人员；Many rural migrants work in big cities. 许多农村务工人员在大城市工作

To allay those fears, the biggest automation companies are providing help to the disaffected. Meituan has started training delivery drivers to help operate drone deliveries in Shanghai. Jobs range from loading food onto drones to monitoring flights from a command centre. So far only 200 people are on this team, compared with millions of drivers. But this will expand, says Mao Yinian of Meituan. Whereas the company previously only trained its own employees for such work, he says, it now trains other workers, too. These include staff at hospitals, where drones deliver some test samples.

为了缓解这些担忧，最大的自动化企业正为心怀不满的人提供帮助。美团已开始在上海培训外卖司机，帮助操作无人机配送。工作内容从将食物装载到无人机上，到在指挥中心监控飞行情况不等。到目前为止，这个团队只有200人，而外卖司机有数百万人。但美团的毛一年表示，这个规模将会扩大。他说，该公司以前只培训自己的员工从事这类工作，现在也培训其他工作人员，包括医院里负责无人机配送检测样本的人员。

• allay /əˈleɪ/ v. 缓解、减轻；We need to allay people’s fears about the crisis. 我们需要缓解人们对危机的担忧

• disaffected /ˌdɪsəˈfektɪd/ adj. 心怀不满的；The policy has caused disaffected voices. 这项政策引发了不满的声音

• monitoring /ˈmɒnɪtərɪŋ/ v. 监控、监测；They are monitoring the patient’s vital signs. 他们正在监测病人的生命体征

The point of automation is ultimately to replace workers, who need to be paid a regular wage, with robots, which do not. This will eventually end up being true in China, too. In the meantime, a world anxious about an AI jobs apocalypse will be watching the Chinese experiment in human-first automation closely.

自动化的最终目的，是用无需定期支付工资的机器人取代需要工资的人类工人。这一点最终也将在中国成为现实。与此同时，一个担忧人工智能引发就业末日的世界，将密切关注中国这场“以人为本”的自动化试验。

• anxious about /ˈæŋkʃəs əˈbaʊt/ 短语 担忧、担心；She is anxious about her son’s safety. 她担心儿子的安全

• apocalypse /əˈpɒkəlɪps/ n. 末日、大灾难；Many people worry about an AI apocalypse. 很多人担心人工智能末日的到来

• experiment /ɪkˈsperɪmənt/ n. 试验、实验；The country is conducting an experiment in new policies. 这个国家正在进行新政策试验