“无人”叙事与技术现实：无人驾驶网约车的社会共构

The Narrative of “Driver Lessness” and Technical Reality: The Co-Production of Robotaxi

摘要: 无人驾驶网约车作为自动驾驶技术商业化落地的核心场景，在公共话语与企业宣传中被建构为“去人化”的技术形态，引发了关于技术替代、失业风险与社会关系异化的讨论，但其实际运行的复杂结构与社会群体的认知之间的差异和分裂尚未得到充分的学理解释。文章以“技术决定论–技术的社会建构–共生产”为理论框架，通过2023~2025年对北京亦庄无人驾驶试验区的参与观察、深度访谈与问卷调查，对无人驾驶网约车的运行结构与社会认知差异展开分析。发现所谓“无人驾驶”呈现“前台无人、后台有人”的分层结构，系统的稳定运行高度依赖预警体系下的多角色人工协作网络，人工干预是保障系统安全的常态机制而非技术不成熟的阶段性例外。同时，不同社会主体对该技术形成了认知差异：直接接触技术的从业者与高频乘客对技术边界有中立判断，而未接触技术的群体则基于“无人”话语建构的技术想象，产生了对失业等的集体焦虑，反映了一种科技发展不断增速的整体恐惧的集中投射，而这种差异也影响和塑造着无人驾驶网约车技术的发展。文章认为，无人驾驶网约车是技术与社会相互塑造的共构体，其发展本质是一场多主体参与的社会共构工程，为理解自动驾驶技术的社会嵌入逻辑提供新的分析视角。

Abstract: As the core commercialization scenario of autonomous driving, Robotaxi is framed as a “dehumanized” technology in public and corporate discourse, triggering debates on technological displacement and social alienation. Yet the gap between its actual operational complexity and public perceptions remains understudied. Based on the framework of Technological Determinism, Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) and Co-production, this paper analyzes Robotaxi’s operation and cognitive divergence using participant observation, in-depth interviews and surveys conducted in Beijing Yizhuang Autonomous Driving Pilot Zone (2023~2025). It finds that “unmanned driving” features a “unmanned frontstage, manned backstage” structure: system stability relies heavily on multi-role human collaboration, and human intervention is a normal safety mechanism rather than a temporary flaw. Meanwhile, practitioners and frequent users hold neutral views on technological boundaries, while the unexposed public harbors unemployment anxiety rooted in broader fears of accelerating technological change, which in turn shapes Robotaxi’s development. This paper argues that Robotaxi is a co-constructed entity of technology and society, offering a new perspective on the social embedding of autonomous driving.