Self-Driving Semi Truck Completes Cross-Country Test Drive

Integrating self-driving systems into existing semi-trucks creates autonomous vehicles that do not rely on human drivers for long hauls.

Embark, a San Francisco startup, successfully programmed a Peterbilt semi-truck to drive from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, reports CNBC’s Lora Kolodny. That is, incredibly, a journey of 2,400 miles without a human behind the wheel. In fact, the company, has already integrated the self-driving system into five semis and plans to equip 40 more trucks this year. In doing so, Embark can test the software and on-board sensors that map surroundings in real time and enable the vehicles to avoid obstacles. Bottom line, Embark aims to outfit trucks to drive themselves on freeways.

The self-driving system does not entirely replace truckers, who will take the wheel to navigate exit ramps and towns. Rather, it will enable drivers to more effectively cover long routes and make more deliveries in less time.

What do you think are the biggest benefits and challenges of self-driving haulers?

AI or Not AI – Hard to Tell

The line between reality and Artificial Intelligence is becoming more and more blurred. It’s getting hard to know when and if AI is playing a role in our daily tasks.

From a report

Applicants usually don’t know when a startup has used artificial intelligence to triage their resume. When Big Tech deploys AI to tweak a social feed and maximize scrolling time, users often can’t tell, either. The same goes when the government relies on AI to dole out benefits — citizens have little say in the matter. What’s happening: As companies and the government take up AI at a delirious pace, it’s increasingly difficult to know what they’re automating — or hold them accountable when they make mistakes. If something goes wrong, those harmed have had no chance to vet their own fate. Why it matters: AI tasked with critical choices can be deployed rapidly, with little supervision — and it can fall dangerously short. The big picture: Researchers and companies are subject to no fixed rules or even specific professional guidelines regarding AI. Hence, companies have tripped up but suffered little more than a short-lived PR fuss.

Blockchanin for Public Records

Some northern Nevada counties are using blockchain, the online ledger best known for helping secure virtual currencies such as bitcoin, to store digital versions of government records like birth and marriage certificates. From a report:

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that as of December in Washoe County, about 950 couples had received secure digital marriage certificates to home computers and smartphones since the program debuted in April 2018. The newspaper found that Elko County is trying similar technology for certified digital birth certificates. Phil Dhingra at San Francisco-based Titan Seal said the Washoe County digital marriage certificate program uses the Ethereum blockchain because it has computing power that makes it hard to hack. He said he believes the number of digital certificates per year in the United States could at least match the billions of paper records that get a certificate or embossed seal of some kind.

Government administration staff and office workers will find themselves soon displaced by kiosks performed by customer and licensees.   Governments still collect much needed fees,  but no longer have  overhead of clerical labor.

What other uses for blockchain and record keeping do you anticipate?