Waymo’s Journey to Full Autonomy: AI Breakthroughs, Safety, and Scaling

In this episode of No Priors, Dmitri Dolgov, Co-CEO of Waymo, joins Sarah and Elad to explore the evolution and advancements of Waymo's self-driving technology from its inception at Google to its current real-world deployment. Dmitri also shares insights into the technological breakthroughs and complexities of achieving full autonomy, the design innovations of Waymo’s sixth generation driverless cars, and the broader applications of Waymo’s advanced technology. They also discuss Waymo's strategic approach to scaling amidst regulation, deployment in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco, and the transformative potential of autonomous driving on car ownership and urban infrastructure.

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Shownotes:

00:00 Introduction

00:15 History of Self-Driving at Google 

00:29 DARPA Challenges and Early Involvement 

01:39 Formation of Waymo 

01:53 Industry Lineage and Early Skepticism 

03:05 Initial Goals and Milestones 

4:33 Pivot to Full Autonomy 

04:50 Scaling and Deployment 

05:29 Generational Breakthroughs 

06:59 Choosing Deployment Cities 

09:26 Technological Advancements 

11:01 Evaluating Safety 

14:41 Regulatory Stance and Trust 

16:52 Future of Autonomous Driving 

23:19 Business Strategy and Partnerships 

26:06 Changing Urban Mobility Trends 

26:40 Challenges and Misconceptions in Self-Driving Timelines 

28:43 The Role of Traditional OEMs in an Autonomous Future 

30:54 Designing Cars for Autonomous Ride-Hailing 

33:42 Scaling Responsibly 

35:18 Generalizability and Future Applications of AI 

37:10 The Complexity of Achieving Full Autonomy 

42:58 The Importance of Data and Iteration in AI Development 

46:13 Reflecting on the Journey and Future of Waymo