Image Credit: Waymo.
We've been tricked again... We've been sold a vision of the future filled with driverless taxis whisking us away to the pub as we doze off in the back, blissfully unaware of the reality. But - and it's a huge one with a capital B - it turns out the Wizard of Oz is not a wizard at all. Nah - he's a lad in the Philippines staring at a monitor, wondering why it is taking you so long to find the door handle.
It sounds like a joke from a bad sitcom, but unfortunately it's the absolute truth. Waymo, the Google-owned giant that's supposed to be leading the charge in the "US vs. China" tech war, has been caught with its trousers down a wee bit. It turns out their fancy "autonomous" robotaxis aren't entirely independent. They're getting a helping hand - or a digital nudge, if you will - from workers stationed halfway across the globe.
Image Credit: Waymo.
The beans were spilled at a Senate hearing last week, and the atmosphere was frostier than a deep freeze in Alaska. Waymo's safety chief, Mauricio Peña, had the unenviable task of explaining to a room full of grumpy US lawmakers why a company that claims to be racing against China is, in fact, buying its cars from them. If you haven't heard yet, Waymo is ditching the Jaguar I-Pace for a new minivan built by Zeekr. And who owns Zeekr? Geely. A massive Chinese conglomerate.
Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio was having none of it. He pointed out the delicious irony with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "You said... we're locked in a race with China, but it seems like you're getting in bed with China," he quipped. And it's a fair point. When you're challenging someone to a duel you're not going to ask them to borrow their pistol because yours is a bit rubbish. Moreno went on to suggest this might be a sneaky "backdoor" to dodge US regulations on connected vehicles. Cheeky!
Image Credit: Waymo.
But the real comedy gold came when the topic shifted to labor. Peña admitted that while some of the remote "guidance" comes from the US, a fair chunk comes from offshore, specifically the Philippines. Waymo was very quick to clarify - in that panicked PR sort of way - that these folks aren't "driving" the cars. Oh no, heaven forbid! They just provide "guidance."
Peña argued, "They do not remotely drive the vehicles... the Waymo vehicle is always in charge." Right. So, the car is the captain, but the bloke in Manila is the one whispering in its ear, telling it not to hit that traffic cone? It's a distinction without a difference to the average punter, if you ask me.
Image Credit: Waymo.
Senator Ed Markey was absolutely fuming. He called it a safety issue and demanded those jobs stay on American soil. And you can see his point. If my robotaxi crashes, I'd like to know if it was a computer glitch or if the remote operator just spilled his coffee.
Tesla's Lars Moravy was there too, looking like the kid who did his homework while the others were setting fire to the classroom. He chimed in to say that US regulations are ancient relics that are slowing down innovation. And he's right. We're trying to regulate 21st-century AI with rules written when a "driverless carriage" was something that happened when your horse died.
Image Credit: Waymo.
Surprised much? The high-tech future of American autonomous driving is powered by Chinese vans and guided by offshore workers... It's a global effort, I guess. The next time you see an empty Waymo gliding through the streets of San Francisco, give it a little wave. There might be someone in Manila waving back.
Enjoyed the article? Give us a 'LIKE' and FOLLOW us on MSN! We're tracking the electric future... even if it's still buffering.
