Most Drivers Remain Skeptical of Fully Self-Driving Cars
An AI startup specializing in autonomous driving technology, Wayve, has secured over $1 billion in funding from prominent investors such as Microsoft and Nvidia. The London-based company announced Tuesday that the investment will accelerate the development of its embodied AI technology. This technology enables vehicles to “interact with, comprehend, and learn from human behavior in real-world environments,” according to Wayve. The company believes its AI products will lead to “greater usability and safety in autonomous driving systems.”
Despite widespread optimism, a significant safety concern hinders the widespread adoption of self-driving cars. Automotive industry experts recently told CBS MoneyWatch that existing systems often return control to human drivers too late to prevent accidents.
Wayve, established in 2017, and its investors are betting that embodied AI can resolve these safety issues. Alex Kendall, Wayve’s co-founder and CEO, described the technology as “a GPT for driving” in a blog post on Tuesday. “Since our inception, we have held a core belief that end-to-end AI will make autonomy possible,” Kendall wrote. “We are excited to see our progress and this funding as a massive endorsement of our vision.”
