A couple of days ago we wrote about General Motors abandoning its Cruise robotaxi. This is not surprising. Robotaxis are really computers on wheels, and the driver is software - artificial intelligence. General Motors is not a software company. This may seem like an obvious statement but it has profound implications. Software companies are used to rapid prototyping, rapid cycles of creation, testing, destruction, corrections and a new round of testing. Companies that work with material things simply cannot match this level of speed. In large measure it’s psychological – even if you hire young computer team, the management still has “physical world limitations” mentality. Tesla and SpaceX do try to replicate this software process – that’s why spectacular explosions of the Starship are considered part of the development plan – but keep in mind Elon Musk made his first fortune in computer software, so the push comes from the top, and he has the u ... read more

One of the more interesting announcements at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show was that Nvidia and Mercedes are working on AI in the Mercedes-Benz automobiles.   While Mercedes is researching self-driving cars, in the meantime they offer AI enhancements to the overall automobile use experience. Mercedes announced that it will offer a Virtual Assistant which is supposed to offer a mix of proactive and empathetic interactions. It is supposed to model four emotions and adapt them to the needs, preferences and moods of the humans. While personally I don’t want my car chatting me up, it might come in handy when kids are riding in the back – let the AI handle “Are we there yet?” questions. Mercedes will, supposedly, train large language model (artificial intelligence) to know the history of Mercedes vehicles, but also the know the manual/handbook for a particular model, as well as status of the vehicle information.  Drivers will be able to have a conversa ... read more