"Waymo has established itself as the autonomous ride-hailing service to beat, operating a fleet of several thousand self-driving taxis across the United States, with active services in ten major metropolitan areas. That "self-driving" may be due for some extra scrutiny, though. During a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's use of Chinese-made vehicles and reliance on overseas workers, as Business Insider reports."
"The news comes roughly a week after a Waymo robotaxi struck and injured a child near a Santa Monica, California, elementary school, triggering a federal probe. After being pressed for a breakdown on where these overseas operators operate, Peña said he didn't have those stats, explaining that some operators live in the US, but others live much further away, including in the Philippines."
Waymo operates several thousand self-driving taxis across the United States with active services in ten major metropolitan areas. The company faced questioning during a Congressional hearing over use of Chinese-made vehicles and reliance on overseas operators. A Waymo robotaxi struck and injured a child near a Santa Monica elementary school, prompting a federal probe. Mauricio Peña said some human operators live in the US while others live as far away as the Philippines and that they provide guidance but do not remotely drive vehicles. Senator Ed Markey raised concerns about stale information, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and whether overseas operators have US driver's licenses. Waymo described the human role as a "phone-a-friend" input.
Read at Futurism
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