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Posted on 02/06/2026 7:53:29 PM PST by xxqqzz
An admission by a Waymo executive during a U.S. Senate hearing has drawn renewed scrutiny to how autonomous vehicles operate when technology alone is not enough.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation convened a hearing on the safety and oversight of autonomous vehicles. Testimony included representatives from Tesla, the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association and members of academia.
Also appearing was Dr. Mauricio Peña, chief safety officer at Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company.
During questioning, Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, asked what happens when a Waymo vehicle encounters a driving situation it cannot independently resolve.
“The Waymo phones a human friend for help,” Markey explained, adding that the vehicle communicates with a “remote assistance operator.”
Markey criticized the lack of public information about these workers, despite their role in vehicle safety.
Peña responded by clarifying the scope of the operators’ involvement: “They provide guidance, they do not remotely drive the vehicles,” Peña said.
Pressed further on where those operators are located, Peña told lawmakers that some are based in the United States and others abroad, though he did not have an exact breakdown. After additional questioning, he confirmed that overseas operators are located in the Philippines.
Sharp Criticism The disclosure prompted sharp criticism from Markey, who raised concerns about security and labor implications.
“Having people overseas influencing American vehicles is a safety issue,” he said.
“The information the operators receive could be out of date. It could introduce tremendous cyber security vulnerabilities,” according to People.
Markey also pointed to job displacement, noting that autonomous vehicles already affect taxi and rideshare drivers in the U.S.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
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*Raoul, defense in driving is not like defense in sports!
**It’s not?
*No!
Was stationed in the Philippines. The best advice I got for driving there was “Wear mirrored sunglasses”. Why? If you make eye contact with someone, they consider it permission to pull in front of you.
And the number of lanes there was determined by the constantly changing average width of the vehicles times their numbers subtracted from the total width of the road, including border and sometimes any sidewalk.
They aren’t legal drivers. Waymo execs should be arrested.
Pedicab Pinoy robots
Mabuti!
Driving in the Philippines is a trip. The biggest difference, is how they make left turns. They just pull out into traffic, and oncoming drivers expect them to, and give way.
Hmmm...
What could possibly go wrong?
LOL... so some portion of Waymo’s supposedly sophisticated “AI driving” is basically buck-an-hour “gamers” in the Philippines remotely navigating the streets of San Francisco... that’s actually hilarious.
They may not be up on US traffic laws, but if they can navigate the streets in Manila, they can drive ANYWHERE.
Driverless vehicles don’t belong on the road. They belong in warehouses and they’re dangerous there as well.
Cars and trucks should be driven by humans.
Cars and trucks should never be plugged in before you drive them
Cars and trucks should be heard starting.
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