Why Waymo believes robotaxis must be safer than human drivers

"If people can drive with their eyes, can an AI drive only with cameras? Tesla leans on that analogy to defend its hotly debated cameras-only approach to autonomous cars. "It should be solved with cameras just like how every other human or animal lives around this world," Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's vice president of AI, said at the ScaledML Conference on January 29. "Self-driving problem is thought of as a sensor problem. It's actually not a sensor problem, it's an AI problem.""

"Tesla wants to reach autonomy with fewer than 10 cameras and an AI trained on billions of miles of real-world driving data. Waymo also relies on AI, but is paired with a multi-sensor system - 29 cameras, five lidars, and six radars - to give the AI driver different ways to perceive an environment. The Alphabet company has so far deployed about 2,500 robotaxis across multiple US cities."

"The debate often boils down to cost and safety: More sensors could increase costs, which could be a barrier to scale. Fewer sensors could present safety challenges, some say, which is another constraint for mass robotaxi adoption. Thirumalai manages a team of more than 600 people building Waymo's AI driver software. During a rare interview at Waymo's HQ, which spans multiple buildings, the vice president told Business Insider he expects the sensor suite to shrink over time as the hardware"

Tesla favors a cameras-only autonomy strategy, framing autonomous driving as an AI problem rather than a sensor limitation. Tesla plans to use fewer than ten cameras and train AI on billions of miles of real-world driving data. Waymo takes a multi-sensor approach combining 29 cameras, five lidars, and six radars to provide redundant perception and higher-than-human safety expectations. Waymo has deployed about 2,500 robotaxis across multiple US cities and operates a large team building onboard AI. The industry debate centers on safety versus cost: more sensors increase hardware costs but can improve perception and redundancy.

Read at Business Insider