AI Roundup: Musk's Developer-based Commercial, AI Autoracing
Why pay for advertising when the media can do it for you?
Tesla Ridesharing
As part of its Q1 financial reporting, Tesla also released screenshots of a future ride-sharing app, which will presumably be released alongside the next update to FSD, though it is unclear when that will be.
But when it happens, if ever, is pretty much besides the point. For the cost of maybe a Figma license, Musk generated gobs and gobs of publicity (good publicity at that) that otherwise would have cost his company a ton of money. Instead, the media picked up a story that something completely non-functional and that possibly may never exist, is on the cusp of release. That, my friends, makes you excited and makes you want to buy a Tesla, something Musk desperately needs you to do as competition ramps up and BYD is knocking on your door.
Autonomous Racing League Debut
I know there are a lot of differing opinions out there about auto racing, but I happen to enjoy it very much. So when another of my favorite things, AI, joins into the fun, only good things can happen.
That was the case this past week when 8 (only 4 qualified) autonomous race cars competed on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix raceway. The cars were developed by university robotics departments (universities doing good things, yay!) and were competing for shares of a $2.25 million prize. Some first takes (I need to go to sleep):
It was a little slow, but I think this will get better (it will have to)
The cameras will need to be better integrated into the design of the car. Right now the cameras on top look a little funny
Watching the cars go around, at speed, without drivers, was fascinating. Auto racing has always been on the cutting edge of driving development, and I think this is no exception.
Without a physical human element to the race (“athleticism” for lack of a better word) there is going to need to be some other thing developed to draw crowds to this. I don’t know what that will be, but I would appreciate your suggestions.
So there you have it: one very unreal AI driving car, and one very real, kind of working AI driving car. A race on multiple levels. May the best AI win.