Is AI coming for the gig economy?

Walking my dog in Miami the other day, I spotted something both funny and unsettling: A robot cruising down the sidewalk delivering food — and it had my name on it. The sight immediately took me back to a few years ago when I was behind the wheel with my pup in the back seat, delivering meals as my side gig. 

At the time, I had just quit a toxic job with very little financial cushion and no clear next step. To say I was burned out was an understatement. My soul and my career needed a total reset. Thanks to the gig economy, I was able to make it work: Covering my basic living expenses, giving myself much-needed breathing room, and wearing out my then two-year-old dog. 

That leap — leaving a job without another lined up — became a turning point. It taught me how critical it is to create sustainable, flexible options in your career, and it's one of the reasons I’m so passionate now about helping professionals build strategies that allow them to pivot with confidence. 

But what if I hadn't had that option to fall back on? That was the question that struck me when the delivery robot glided right on by. 

Gig work as a lifeline 

Think about this for a second: You, or someone you know, loses a job, can't make ends meet, or simply falls on hard financial times. Where can you turn for a bit of extra cash flow fast these days? Gig platforms like Uber, DoorDash, or Amazon delivery could be a great holdover, and you may not even need a license or car to make it happen. We're not talking about students or someone looking to fill some extra time signing up for this work. According to a study by MyPerfectResume, 71 percent of U.S. workers rely on secondary income sources. And per a recent report by Zety, 55 percent of workers rely on gig work for more than half their total earnings (Disclosure: I am a career expert for Zety). This proves that gig work isn't just a bridge or cushion for moments of transition, but a necessity when one paycheck isn't enough to live on. 

What happens when the bots take over? 

It isn't on the horizon anymore. We are seeing self-driving cars and sidewalk robots as a part of normal life, not The Jetsons. They’re being tested, deployed, and replacing labor that once relied on humans. If these jobs vanish, it’s not just side hustles we’re losing. We're talking about removing one of the few easy-to-get-into and easy-to-manage cash flow opportunities left. And we're doing it in a job market that's already brutal, where, according to a Zety report, laid-off workers routinely send out 50 or even 100 applications just to land something new. We’re not just talking about people like me, looking for a break while applying for new roles. Think about the single parents piecing together income, or the workers trying to stay afloat while their next job is still months away.

A broader conversation is needed 

So far, the conversation around AI has focused on traditional 9-to-5 jobs and how white-collar professionals will adapt. Those concerns matter. But so do the questions at the street level. When AI takes over a delivery job, it's not just about how a robot navigates foot traffic. It's about someone's rent money, their grocery bill, their stopgap until the next job comes along. 

We need to broaden the conversation to include the impact on all of us and the safety nets that keep people afloat. And we need to have it now, before AI takes away the very work that once gave me the breathing room and lifeline I desperately needed.

This article reflects the opinion of the writer.

Jasmine Escalera, PhD, serves as the career expert for Zety and brings extensive experience in hiring, management, and leadership roles.