Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous delivery technologies are reshaping how e-hailing and food delivery platforms operate. Algorithms already match orders, allocate couriers, predict arrival times, adjust incentives and evaluate performance, and autonomous delivery robots are being tested for parts of the last mile. This paper asks whether these developments will eliminate the food delivery gig economy or reorganise the work that people perform within it. It is a qualitative narrative review of research and institutional publications from 2020 to 2026 covering algorithmic management, platform work in Asia and the Pacific, and autonomous delivery robotics. The review finds that automation can absorb some routine coordination and short, predictable deliveries, but wider adoption is held back by infrastructure, weather, traffic, regulation, food handling, security, public acceptance and the complexity of door-to-door handover. In the near term, AI is more likely to manage and intensify human work than to replace the delivery workforce. Three pathways are identified: augmentation, selective substitution and localised labour displacement. The central policy challenge is therefore not to halt innovation but to share its gains fairly through worker consultation, transparent algorithms, portable social protection and reskilling. The paper concludes that delivery work will change substantially, yet a fully workerless system is unlikely to become the norm in Southeast Asia by 2030.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence; autonomous delivery robots; food delivery; e-hailing; gig economy; algorithmic management; Southeast Asia; platform work.
Title: The Future of E-Hailing and Food Delivery: Will AI and Robots Kill the Food Delivery Gig Economy?
Author: Dr. Chong Kuan Git, Dr. P. Ravindran Pathmanathan, Dr. Venkatesh Karanam
International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations
ISSN 2348-7585 (Online)
Vol. 14, Issue 2, October 2026 - March 2027
Page No: 91-97
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 22-October-2026
Amendment Date: 27-October-2026
