Photo: @d_bau13 via Twitter | Edited
Faith in autonomous driving technology dwindles as another Cruise robotaxi recently hit the back of a bus in San Francisco. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the accident, but the crash is another setback for GM's robotaxi subsidiary.
Autonomous driving companies are facing rough times even as AI seems to be making strides in replacing humans in other fields. OpenAI's GPT-4 is the closest thing we know to what we can confidently call artificial intelligence and is probably not far from becoming self-aware. Unlike AI, which developed from lab experiments to a full-blown commercial business in less than a year, autonomous driving seems to be going nowhere.
Many companies develop autonomous driving products, although few will be with us in the coming years. After Ford and Volkswagen decided to end the Argo AI adventure, we've also had news about Waymo scaling back its operations. Cruise is bullish about its prospects, but we think it will go the Argo AI way, probably integrated into GM's Ultra Cruise team. The startup is burning billions of dollars while advancing too slowly to make a difference. Recent incidents have also stained Cruise's image and questioned its ability to deliver on its promises.
On Friday, a Cruise robotaxi crashed into the back of a Muni bus in San Francisco, and the images have heated the self-driving debate. The accident happened right after the bus station, and it wasn't clear whether the Cruise AV hit the bus while it was moving or the bus cut in front as it left the station. Fortunately, nobody was injured, as the robotaxi wasn't carrying any passengers at the time.
It was mostly a fender bender that would not have made the news had it been a regular car with a normal guy behind the wheel. These accidents happen thousands of times every day, and nobody cares. Being an autonomous vehicle involved attracts a lot more attention and causes not only Cruise but also autonomous driving efforts at large to get thrashed by the public. If you read the comments on the Twitter post attached below, you'll see that no matter how much safer driverless cars would become, they'll still be crucified after an event like this.
Cruise autonomous vehicles have been involved in more than 200 traffic incidents and accidents since the company started its first tests in 2016. Some have resulted in injuries, such as a crash on June 3, 2022, right after Cruise got the permit to operate its commercial robotaxi service. That night, a Cruise AV carrying one paying customer turned left into traffic and was hit by another car. Passengers in both vehicles were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In other incidents, Cruise robotaxis would stop for no reason in the middle of the road, a problem that prompted the NHTSA to open an investigation last December. Recently, two Cruise autonomous cars entered a street isolated with caution tape and got entangled in utility wires downed by a storm.
Many companies develop autonomous driving products, although few will be with us in the coming years. After Ford and Volkswagen decided to end the Argo AI adventure, we've also had news about Waymo scaling back its operations. Cruise is bullish about its prospects, but we think it will go the Argo AI way, probably integrated into GM's Ultra Cruise team. The startup is burning billions of dollars while advancing too slowly to make a difference. Recent incidents have also stained Cruise's image and questioned its ability to deliver on its promises.
On Friday, a Cruise robotaxi crashed into the back of a Muni bus in San Francisco, and the images have heated the self-driving debate. The accident happened right after the bus station, and it wasn't clear whether the Cruise AV hit the bus while it was moving or the bus cut in front as it left the station. Fortunately, nobody was injured, as the robotaxi wasn't carrying any passengers at the time.
It was mostly a fender bender that would not have made the news had it been a regular car with a normal guy behind the wheel. These accidents happen thousands of times every day, and nobody cares. Being an autonomous vehicle involved attracts a lot more attention and causes not only Cruise but also autonomous driving efforts at large to get thrashed by the public. If you read the comments on the Twitter post attached below, you'll see that no matter how much safer driverless cars would become, they'll still be crucified after an event like this.
Cruise autonomous vehicles have been involved in more than 200 traffic incidents and accidents since the company started its first tests in 2016. Some have resulted in injuries, such as a crash on June 3, 2022, right after Cruise got the permit to operate its commercial robotaxi service. That night, a Cruise AV carrying one paying customer turned left into traffic and was hit by another car. Passengers in both vehicles were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In other incidents, Cruise robotaxis would stop for no reason in the middle of the road, a problem that prompted the NHTSA to open an investigation last December. Recently, two Cruise autonomous cars entered a street isolated with caution tape and got entangled in utility wires downed by a storm.
A driverless car rear ended a Muni bus in Haight street today.
— (((BrokeAssStuart))) (@BrokeAssStuart) March 24, 2023
Pics via @realpaintedladies_sf on IG pic.twitter.com/LYBxA5CkUH
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