Waymo claims its AVs are statistically safer than people

On the whole, 2024 has been characterised with less enthusiastic rhetoric concerning autonomous vehicles (AVs). Perhaps chastened by a pedestrian collision involving a Cruise robotaxi in October 2023, developers opined that the sector’s culture should slow down, work on building community trust, and focus on their technology’s capacity for societal good.

While there are some high-profile outliers—most notably Tesla—many players are now choosing to refine automation (SAE Level 3 and below) instead of short-term moon shoots to achieve Level 4 and 5. On 10 December 2024—following executive dismissals, layoffs, and service suspensions at Cruise—General Motors announced it would no longer fund the loss-making venture. The automaker will instead focus on its Super Cruise driver assistance system.