A woman was arrested in Philly for blocking a delivery robot

is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.

Carolyn Marvin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after blocking the path of an Uber delivery robot and refusing to get out of the way. Marvin told Philadelphia’s ABC13 “I know they’re taking the jobs of human delivery workers and so, I have been protesting them whenever I saw them by standing in front of them and preventing them from going forward.”

Police responded to the scene and asked Marvin to move out of the robot’s way. When she refused, they placed her in cuffs and arrested her. The incident was captured on video and has now garnered considerable media attention.

The delivery robots have become a common sight on the streets of downtown Philadelphia and have sparked backlash. This is not even Marvin’s first brush with them. And earlier this year, one was kicked over in Center City. Broad concern has grown about how autonomous systems, including robotaxis, delivery robots, and AI agents, are impacting jobs, especially for lower-skill workers.

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