This week on Found, we’re diving into the future of trucking with Raquel Urtasun, CEO and co-founder of Wabi, a company pioneering driverless, long-haul trucks powered by generative AI. Hosts Dominic-Madori Davis and Becca Szkutak learn about Waabi’s unique simulation-based training and how this approach is intended to minimize mistakes once the massive trucks hit the road later this year.
As with many developments in AI, replacing long-haul truck drivers with driverless trucks could lead to changes in the workforce. But Urtasun is confident that the slow rollout of this technology will allow for the industry to adjust. “I’m very, very motivated, and I really want to build technology that can empower us humans to have what they call more humanized jobs,” Urtasun said while describing the physical and metal challenges truck drivers face.
The conversation also covered:
- The infrastructure requirements that will be required when these autonomous trucks are used en masse.
- How Urtasun’s AI-driven approach differes from other leaders in the AV space that typically come from a robotics background. She sees Waabi as a generative AI compaby rather than a robotics company.
- The safety and technical challenges that come with deploying such large driverless vehicles. Everything from weather to traffic patterns have to be taken into account.
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