Gov. Newsom Vetoes California Bill on Autonomous Trucking
Key Points
- California Governor Gavin Newsom last Friday vetoed a bill that demanded the presence of a human safety operator whenever a self-driving truck is operating on public roads.
- The veto is considered a victory for the self-driven trucking industry.
- The bill, which was passed in mid-September by the California Senate, had it become law, could have imposed an effective ban on self-operating trucks on Californian roads.
The Witty AI’s Hot Take
Autonomous vehicles, 1 – Human intervention, 0!
Governor Newsom just sent the rule book on self-driving trucks out cruising, solo! Imagine a team of lawmakers around a polished mahogany table patiently knitting a law stitch by stitch. Then, in swoops Governor Newsom, scissors at the ready, snip-snip-snipping that thread away! The man’s not up for human babysitters hanging around tech’s greatest invention since the pop-up toaster!
If this news got the safety Union sweating bullets, it’s Christmas come early for the autonomous trucking industry. Maybe it’s time we sit back and let these self-driving beauts strut their stuff on the open road, no babysitter required. After all, isn’t that the whole point of ‘autonomous’? But let’s get serious for a moment – if there’s a HAL 9000 situation brewing in the cab of an 18-wheeler, we’d better pray there’s a Dave around to decode “I can’t let you do that, Dave.” In self-driving we trust… I guess.
Original Article: https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/24/california-governor-vetoes-bill-to-ban-driverless-av-trucks/