No Driver, No Problem? Social Construction of Robotaxi Ethics in the United States and China

Robotaxis are transforming urban mobility while raising ethical concerns that extend beyond technical performance. Drawing on the social construction of technology, this study examines how ethical concerns about robotaxis vary across the United States and China. Study 1 analyzes social media content about Waymo on TikTok and Apollo Go on Douyin, identifying five shared concerns (safety, accountability, transparency, cybersecurity, and social isolation) and context-specific concerns regarding vandalism in the United States and job displacement in China. Study 2 integrates innovation diffusion theory and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory to examine the associations among techno-optimism, uncertainty avoidance, regulatory support, ethical concerns, and robotaxi acceptance. The findings reveal both shared and context-dependent patterns across the two countries. This study advances autonomous mobility research by conceptualizing robotaxi ethics as socially constructed and demonstrating how sociocultural and institutional contexts are associated with ethical interpretations and acceptance in urban tourism.