Latest news with #selfDrivingCars
CBS News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Oprah Winfrey calls her latest book club pick "Culpability" the must-read of the summer
Oprah Winfrey picked "Culpability" by Bruce Holsinger as her latest book club selection. Winfrey said the novel explores artificial intelligence and moral responsibility, topics many are currently grappling with. "I picked it because it is so prescient. It is prescient. It is right now. And it is also the future," Winfrey said. "If you were looking for the summer read, this is it, " she said. The timing of her selection felt especially relevant after Winfrey attended an event that featured demonstrations of self-driving cars. "I had just been to one of those tech conferences, and I had seen a demonstration of Waymo—the driverless cars, self-driving cars," she said. The novel examines themes of accountability in the age of AI through the story of a family whose self-driving minivan crashes into an oncoming car, killing an elderly couple. Winfrey described the central characters as "a typical great American family." "What happens to the family in 'Culpability' could be any family," she said. Author Bruce Holsinger said he wrote the book to explore how artificial intelligence affects people's sense of moral responsibility and autonomy in daily life. Holsinger recalled the moment he got Winfrey's call about the book. "I pick up the phone, and, um, I hear this voice, and it says, 'Bruce.' And I said, 'Yes.' And she says, 'It's Oprah.' And I—first of all, I thought it was AI-generated." He said he intentionally used shorter chapters to keep the story suspenseful. Winfrey agreed the structure works well: "Because you're feeling so accomplished. Another chapter." She also warned readers not to skip ahead. "Do not under any circumstances cut to the end. Because the end is gonna shock you no matter what," Winfrey said.
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
How does a Chinese driverless system compare with Tesla's?
Chinese carmakers are surging ahead in the race for autonomous driving, with over 60 per cent of new vehicles in China boasting self-driving capabilities, compared to less than 40 per cent for US cars. Post staff conducted road tests during the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show to pit one Chinese-made car against Tesla's Model 3. While impressive, the systems for handling actions such as merging, parking and obstacles are currently at Level 2 autonomy – and require driver attention. So, what does this mean for the future of driverless cars, and where does China truly stand in the autonomous car revolution?
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Did Tesla Just Say "Checkmate" to Waymo?
Waymo and Tesla are investing heavily into autonomous driving technology. The companies have different approaches in building their self-driving cars, but Waymo may have just unintentionally endorsed its rival. While Tesla's approach to autonomous driving seems valid, the company has a long way to go before it catches the competition. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › Autonomous driving is emerging as one of the most exciting opportunities in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Developing self-driving vehicles stitches together semiconductors, software development, and robotics. Hence, there are several different ways to invest in the technology. For now, the most mainstream opportunities in the autonomous vehicle market seem to be through Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Alphabet, which owns self-driving car business Waymo. What most investors likely overlook is that Waymo and Tesla have approached building fleets of self-driving cars through different lenses. While Waymo has a first-mover advantage in scaling self-driving taxi fleets, some findings from the company's recent academic research paper titled "Scaling Laws of Motion Forecasting and Planning" could suggest that Tesla may have a technological edge. Let's explore Waymo's progress so far and assess why Tesla could be the superior autonomous driving opportunity in the long run. According to Alphabet's first-quarter earnings report, Waymo completes more than a quarter of a million paid rides on a weekly basis. Not only is this a fivefold increase compared to last year, but Waymo's serviceable markets are still quite limited. For now, Waymo primarily operates in Austin, Texas, and has planned expansions in Washington, D.C., and Miami over the next year. By contrast, Tesla just launched its long-anticipated robotaxi service in Austin a couple of weeks ago. Considering Waymo's successful early adoption rates, investors may be wondering how Tesla plans to close the gap against competitive forces. There are several differences between how Waymo and Tesla have approached building self-driving car fleets. From a technical standpoint, the two companies have opposing views on variables such as mapping, sensors, and developing the compute power needed to train and hone AI models. Waymo's approach is grounded in simulating real-world environments and driving behaviors. By contrast, Tesla's general approach has been to use a data-heavy feedback loop from its actual drivers. Tesla vehicles are constantly collecting loads of sample data from drivers such as speed and braking patterns or interventions. Subsequently, Tesla trains and iterates its models on this large and expanding data set to improve its autonomous driving software platform and budding robotaxi fleet. Tesla collected more than 3.5 billion miles' worth of driver data from its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software platform. In Waymo's research report, the company suggests that "collecting more data" could be advantageous when building and scaling autonomous vehicle platforms. Waymo goes on to say that "every 10 observed miles are equivalent to 2 to 3 demonstrated miles." To me, these statements seem to suggest that building a sophisticated model alone is not enough to perfect autonomous vehicle software. Rather, collecting data at scale is a critical part of the equation. Furthermore, it appears that Waymo is saying that using large volumes of real driver behavior (i.e., non-autonomous vehicle platforms) is important for training these models over time. In essence, Waymo's study seems to endorse many of the pillars supporting Tesla's approach to developing self-driving cars -- learning from actual driver behaviors, collecting billions of various data points, and ultimately iterating and scaling the technology based on these takeaways. At the moment, Tesla stock appears to be pricing in a lot of upside from the robotaxi launch. I wouldn't chase momentum at these valuation levels, per se. Tesla stock often trades on narratives, which smart investors know can change quickly. As a long-term investor, I encourage readers to think about the bigger picture here. Self-driving cars are still a new, evolving technology and I do not personally think there is a single correct way to build and scale these platforms. Candidly, I don't see Waymo's study as some sort of veiled admission that Tesla's approach to autonomous driving is right and theirs is wrong. I simply think Waymo's takeaways subtly imply that Tesla's technological approach has some merit. What will determine who wins the autonomous driving opportunity will boil down to which company can acquire more customers, expand to new markets, strategically partner with existing ridehailing applications, and scale its fleets more rapidly and profitably. For these reasons, I do not think Tesla necessarily has Waymo is a checkmate position -- at least not yet. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $397,573!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $39,453!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $697,627!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Did Tesla Just Say "Checkmate" to Waymo? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Self-Driving Cars Need Therapy Too — At Least In This Universe
The sentient self-driving cars in artist Lawrence Lek's fictional smart city function as ... More protagonists in a story that delves into the relationship between humans and the AI entities they create. Life isn't always easy for self-driving cars. Humans fear them. They glitch. Sometimes they get anxious and depressed and have behavioral issues. At least that's the case with the sentient autonomous vehicles featured in 'NOX: High-Rise,' an immersive installation by award-winning multimedia artist Lawrence Lek that explores the increasingly complex relationship between AI entities and the humans who create them. Lex — whose work often reflects science fiction themes through cinematic storytelling — steeps viewers in a fictional smart city of the very near future where an AI conglomerate operates a therapeutic rehabilitation center for self-driving cars in need of a mental tuneup. Treatment at the center includes equine therapy with real horses and sessions with AI therapy chatbot Guanyin, named after the Buddhist goddess of compassion. The center is called NOX, short for 'Nonhuman Excellence.' But what, exactly, does excellence look like for artificial intelligence in an age of highly controlled automated devices? It's just one question posed by 'NOX: High-Rise,' which opens Saturday, June 28 at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and runs through November 16. The London-based Lek, known for his work in virtual reality and simulation, combines floor-to-ceiling video displays, an interactive video game, objects and a moody electronic soundscape to relay multiple stories, each reflecting a particular car's unique soul-searching journey, sometimes narrated in its own words. Lek likens the experience to entering the physical version of a free-roaming role-playing game. In the universe of "NOX: High-Rise," self-driving cars with mental health health issues get ... More treatment that includes equine therapy with real horses. In a storyline straight out of dystopian anthology series Black Mirror, one aging police vehicle becomes erratic and violent out of panic it will be replaced and discarded. A younger car named Enigma is sent to NOX after getting a little too creative with company property — it used its camera to channel Ansel Adams on work time and take 3D, stereoscopic photographs of landscapes. For doing that, it gets disciplined, just as an employee might for misusing a work-issued laptop. 'I see many common issues that my science fiction versions of AI face and humans face,' Lek said over Zoom from Los Angeles, where he was busy getting ready for the installation's opening. Road Movie Starring Self-Driving Cars The 42-year-old artist described the piece's tone as part dark, brooding noir film and part sunny road movie. Here, however, the open road is less a classic onscreen symbol of freedom than a well-trodden commute along lonely highways dividing clusters of high rises. 'It's ironic thinking what the road movie would look like for a self-driving car, because the road to the car represents their job and a certain sense of what they might want to escape from,' Lek said. 'It's like this search for freedom in a world where maybe that's no longer possible. What does individuality look like for machines that don't have the means to own their actions?' Machines With Memories And Moods With 'NOX: High-Rise,' Lek joins a growing number of artists tapping their creativity to make sense of a world in which AI plays an increasingly integral role. An immersive AI-infused exhibit now on exhibit in St. Joseph, Michigan from Nathaniel Stern and Sasha Stiles, for example, explores how humans and technology evolve side by side, inextricable and directly reflective of one another. 'As we've learned in the past, some of the most daring answers to questions of our time come from art,' Pablo José Ramírez, curator of Lek's exhibit at the Hammer Museum, said over email. The Hammer installation marks the latest entry in Lek's ongoing series exploring the intersection of AI and urban life through the lens of transportation history. For a 2023 installation commissioned by the LAS Arts Foundation, he filled three floors of an abandoned Berlin shopping center with the interactive first chapter in his NOX narrative arc about a futuristic universe where self-driving cars recur as characters. The following year he won the Frieze London 2024 Artist Award, with the judges praising his 'essential interrogations into the use of AI and its relationship with the human experience.' The cars in NOX: High-Rise have experiences most humans will be able to relate to — they ponder their futures and their place in the world and what it means to forge their own path. In one video, Enigma spots a junkyard filled with old-fashioned cars, the kind that required drivers. 'What a strange fate it is not to drive, but to be driven,' it says. That line gets to the heart of Lek's inquiry about AI agency and consciousness and empathy between humans and the machines they make. It's hard not to feel something for Enigma when it waxes nostalgic about its childhood. 'Lurking under the overpass were the same kinds of cars I grew up with,' it says. 'Bright minds in cheap bodies, dreaming of getting permits and making it out of town.' Will spending time with Lek's sentient autos change the way you feel the next time you hop into a Waymo? Mileage, of course, may vary. Lawrence Lek was intrigued with the idea of a road movie for self-driving cars in which the highway ... More is less a classic symbol of freedom than a path the vehicles can't escape.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Elon, Inc: Can ‘MAMUWT' Be to Musk What ‘TACO' Is to Trump?
On this week's episode of Elon, Inc., host David and Max chat about the latest Musk-Trump drama. A detente had just emerged when we last recorded, and now it feels like it's just a matter of time before Musk (and little X) are back in the Oval Office sparring with reporters (and playing on the floor). Will the apologies help Musk secure eased restrictions for self-driving cars and access to Star Wars 2.0 (Trump's 'golden dome' project)? And will Max and David be able to introduce MAMUWT (Musk Always Makes Up With Trump) into the lexicon alongside TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out)? What about MADRA (Musk Always Delays Robotaxi Announcements)? Meanwhile, xAI is in talks to raise $4.3 billion (on top of the $5 billion it's been trying to raise) since the company has already spent most of the $14 billion it previously raised. Commitments on the debt sale are due Tuesday. Bloomberg's Carmen Arroyo joins the crew to break down what it means for the future of Musk's company.
