Pranab Ghosh’s Post

The California DMV today notified Cruise that the department is suspending Cruise’s #autonomousvehicle #deployment and #driverless testing permits, effective immediately. The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction. This decision does not impact the company’s permit for testing with a safety driver. Today’s suspensions are based on the following: 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (6) – Based upon the performance of the vehicles, the Department determines the manufacturer’s vehicles are not safe for the public’s operation. 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (3) – The manufacturer has misrepresented any information related to safety of the autonomous technology of its vehicles. 13 CCR §227.42 (b) (5) – Any act or omission of the manufacturer or one of its agents, employees, contractors, or designees which the department finds makes the conduct of autonomous vehicle testing on public roads by the manufacturer an unreasonable risk to the public. 13 CCR §227.42 (c) – The department shall immediately suspend or revoke the Manufacturer’s Testing Permit or a Manufacturer’s Testing Permit – Driverless Vehicles if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.

BREAKING: The Verge reports "California DMV suspends Cruise’s #robotaxi permit effective immediately." Among the reasons cited for the suspension: Cruise’s vehicles “are not safe for public operation”; the company allegedly “misrepresented” the safety of its vehicles; Cruise’s vehicles could pose “an unreasonable risk to the public”; and permits can be revoked “if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.” Cruise can still test its vehicles with human safety drivers behind the wheel. Comment: It would have been better if Cruise had made this decision itself, but kudos to the CA DMV for having the gumption to act. Waymo's operations are unaffected, but we shall have to see if this is the beginning of the end for the robotaxi. https://lnkd.in/dkXxqSaX

California Department of Motor Vehicles isn’t an agency I associate with speed and efficiency, but when it comes to public safety the regulator has demonstrated it can move quickly and won’t let GM ride roughshod over the agency.   Following yet another San Francisco incident Thursday night with a GM-owned driverless Cruise taxi, one involving an injured passenger, DMV ordered the company to reduce its fleet by 50% and curb its operations pending an investigation. The state agency said it is investigating “recent concerning incidents” involving Cruise vehicles.   Over the objections of San Francisco officials, regulators, and many of the city’s residents, the California Public Utilities Commission last week voted 3-1 to allow Cruise to expand its operations. The CPUC’s members are appointed by Gov. Newsom and one of the commissioners who voted in favor was Cruise’s former general counsel.   Since the CPUC’s approval, Cruise vehicles have been involved in multiple mishaps, including 10 of its driverless cars blocking traffic and one driving into a construction site and getting mired in wet concrete.   San Francisco’s fire chief said Cruise and Google’s Waymo driverless taxis have repeatedly interfered with first responders and warned that it was only a matter of time before there was a serious incident. The Cruise incident Thursday night involved a driverless taxi colliding with a fire truck. GM CEO Mary Barra posted on LinkedIn nearly two years ago that Cruise was "on the cusp of commercialization" and more recently predicted that it would generate $50 billion in annual revenues by 2030.   https://lnkd.in/g-npan2i #gm #google #autonomousvehicles #sanfrancisco

Last night, I had the opportunity to discuss the suspension of Cruise's operational permit by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with NBC Bay Area—note this is NOT their passenger-carrying permit issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and does not impact Waymo. While I commend both the regulators and the company for taking a pause to address the specific "corner cases" in question, there are some aspects of this momentary suspension that took me by surprise. First, many seem to have lost focus on the fact both of the incidents that led to this suspension involved mistakes made by human drivers, and one involved an illegal pedestrian crossing. It's important for us to consider that both of these instances are indeed unusual corner cases, where human drivers did make (and might continue to make in future "but-for" environments) similar mistakes (or even worse ones.) Secondly, it's crucial to keep in mind that reporting requirements differ between the DMV and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, and there is some asymmetry in these reporting standards. I suspect that some of the differences in disclosure between these agencies might be a result of new bureaucratic processes and ambiguous policies, rather than any deliberate neglect on Cruise's part. As a final thought-as a part of much of my work I’ve started to reflect on my own overconfident driving behavior, think about #heuristics from books like #Tversky’s “Judgement under Uncertainty” (note it's usually poor judgement), and consider how AVs simply don’t take the same risks that I do. In my mind we need to have a more nuanced perspective on these situations and continue to work together to ensure that autonomous vehicles are safe and reliable—while at the same time embracing the fact that bad human decisions and overconfidence under uncertainty lead to collisions. Full stop. And automation (hopefully that's integrated with #transit) can part of the solution to reduce and eliminate those laps in human judgement. #AutonomousVehicles #SafetyRegulations #Cruise #DMV #NHTSA #SelfDrivingCars #Transportation https://lnkd.in/gNK4A4Z2

Who are you inclined to trust regarding the safety of GM’s driverless Cruise taxis:   San Francisco’s fire chief who says it’s only a matter of time before a Cruise taxi causes as a serious accident?   Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who has conducted research on autonomous-vehicle safety for decades and also warns that it’s only a matter of time before Cruise’s “immature” technology causes a serious accident?   California’s DMV, who ordered half of Cruise’s San Francisco taxis off the road pending a safety investigation?   Ford and VW, who abandoned their joint driverless taxi venture because they said it will take years before the technology can be perfected?   Anthony Levandowski, who pioneered the driverless taxi industry but gave up on the technology because he said it has a long way to go?   Or . . .   Kyle Vogt, a 37-year-old gaming streamer pioneer who is Cruise’s CEO and says naysayers of his business, which has racked up billions in losses, have “sensationalized” the myriad mishaps of his robo vehicles.   GM CEO Mary Barra, who loses billions manufacturing paltry few electric vehicles but predicts Cruise will generate $30 billion in revenues by 2030.   Meanwhile, Axios Austin reports that Cruise is racking up complaints from first responders and residents in that city over issues including unsafe turns, crashes, blocking traffic and nuisance concerns (link provided).   https://lnkd.in/gGtNynA2   https://lnkd.in/gfbcEbxn #gm #robotaxis #austintech #austin

Recently, #autonomousdriving taxi Cruise faced a setback in San Francisco due to an incident, leading to the suspension of their operating license. Though the robotaxi wasn't the primary cause, its response and the company's alleged lack of transparency raise concerns. Accidents are tragic, and every life matters. However, as we evaluate this situation, it's essential to remember the broader potential of this #technology. Autonomous vehicles have the promise to significantly reduce human-caused accidents and save countless lives. While we must address individual incidents with transparency and rigor, let's also keep our eyes on the bigger picture: a #future with safer roads for everyone. https://lnkd.in/djvTd43u

This is the most terrifying news I've seen this year: "Cruise says the vehicle stopped, but then pulled over to move out of traffic, dragging the woman an additional 20 feet. The San Francisco Fire Department said it had to use rescue equipment to remove the woman from beneath the vehicle." It might be unknown to many that China's autonomous driving industry has shifted its focus away from robo-taxis. The reason lies in the perceived absence of a clear path towards the full commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles. China's leading autonomous driving companies, namely Momenta, WeRide.ai, and Pony.ai, redirected their efforts towards investing in L2-L3 level self-driving functionalities for passenger cars in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, companies like Waymo and Cruise find themselves mired in the complexities of achieving full autonomy, seemingly unable to break free. In terms of total external financing, Waymo and Cruise secured $5.5 billion and $6 billion, respectively. However, the recent incident involving Cruise's robo-taxi dragging a pedestrian has cast a shadow over these substantial funding amounts. Instead of pursuing such ventures, it may be wiser to channel these funds into commercially viable areas that contribute to enhancing #RoadSafety, such as AI Video Telematics. This approach could leverage cutting-edge data-driven deep learning technology to bolster fleet safety and streamline insurance risk assessments, potentially hastening the realization of #VisionZero. Given the current unfavorable economic climate, most investors would be prudent to steer clear of fields like #AutonomousDriving, #LargeModels, and #AIGC, which are seemingly distant from practical commercial applications. It's essential to carefully contemplate which products have the potential to be implemented and generate #TangibleValue for human society. #AutonomousDriving #RoboTaxi #SelfDriving #AI #VideoTelematics #RoadSafety #VisionZero #Waymo #Cruise #DraggedPedestrian

With autonomous (self-driving) vehicles much in the news, especially their faults (dead dogs, collisions with emergency vehicles), no mention is made of their accidents relative to vehicles with drivers. What is the per capita accident rate? Cars with drivers kill people, block streets, do stupid things too, but per mile driven, what is the comparison? https://lnkd.in/eYybt6i9 #autonomousvehicles #selfdrivingcars #cars

Is the current news cycle about the CA DMV’s suspension of Cruise robotaxis primarily about Cruise, or should it also be about the societal reluctance to fully acknowledge the challenges of “edge cases” in an unpredictable urban road environment with real and vulnerable road users (VRU)? In spite of the ongoing driverless rides, the robotaxi operations are essentially still pilot programs. Were the city authorities too quick to allow the elimination of a human steward, who could keep an eye on the vehicle behavior on road? Were there signs of issues? The data from SF Municipal Transport Agency (SFMTA) indicate multiple disruptions and incidents in recent months by the pilot or test AV vehicles, Waymo and Cruise included. https://bit.ly/3MhJWrv Cruise may now be under the undesirable spotlight, but the issue at hand may be broader, e.g., in June 2023, a Waymo driverless robotaxi missed and ran over a dog. Of course, one could argue, dog’s a dog – not a human! Yet, personally, I think these robotaxis do demonstrate great progress in realizing a very complex technology, that Tim Cook of Apple once described as “mother of all AI”. I believe that with caution and better guard rails, they will "eventually" deliver on the promises. The problem here is not so much that some of these pilot vehicles are creating obstructions, driving into wet cement, running into emergency vehicles, running over a dog or hitting a VRU. They simply demonstrate that the technology is not yet fully ready for prime time with 100% reliability. The real problem is that unleashing these less than perfect vehicles in a fully live and unpredictable urban environment has its consequences.  Will FDA approve a drug that is in development, just because it is performing well in certain small cases, but has not passed the statistically significant double-blind tests and other patient validation? I wonder if shutting down one or the other robotaxi pilot service ‘after the fact’ is the best regulatory answer for this moment. The challenge is spread across all such test vehicles. The regulators and city authorities in all the sites (e.g., Phoenix, LA, SF, Austin, Dallas, Miami) should think deeply about the concept of and risks associated with “Edge Cases” and brainstorm to figure out a better way to do things, to get the benefit of "beta testing" in a more controlled environment without putting at risk a live traffic ecosystem. While all the noise for a while will be focused on Cruise, we should not overlook that some cities and states are also too eager to allow yet another system, i.e., Level 3 system that lets their drivers take eyes (and potentially minds) off the road, while the vehicle is operating in an unpredictable city environment. https://lnkd.in/ghWUC8id #safety #autonomous #driverless #edgecases #av #emergingtechnology

In light of recent events involving Cruise's self-driving vehicle that resulted in the injury of a pedestrian, it is crucial to hold the company accountable for prioritising safety above all else. The departure of nine Cruise managers and executives from commercial operations, legal, and policy departments following an initial internal analysis of the incident sends a strong message that safety concerns will not be tolerated. The October 2 incident, where a Cruise robotaxi ran over and dragged a pedestrian, highlights the gravity of safety issues in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles. While technological advancements are promising, they must be accompanied by unwavering commitment to safety measures that protect vulnerable road users. Cruise's decision to hold its leaders accountable for this incident sends a clear signal that safety is not just a buzzword but a core value that must be embedded into every aspect of the company's operations. This proactive approach sets a precedent for other self-driving vehicle companies to follow, ensuring that safety remains at the forefront of their development processes. As we move towards a future where self-driving vehicles become more commonplace, it is essential to ensure that their introduction does not compromise the safety of our roads and communities. #Cruise #SelfDrivingVehicles #Innovation #artificialintelligence