Aurora CEO Chris Urmson reiterated plans to have driverless self-driving trucks on the road by the end of the year and discussed the company’s plans for the future during a fireside chat on Tuesday morning organized by the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
“Starting next year it’s going to be ‘how do we scale this product,'” Urmson said. “This year is the magic year where it goes from 'it didn’t work' to 'it does.' That is really exciting for us. We’re working to be ready at the end of this year to launch our trucks on the road with nobody in them.”
This planned launch will occur in Texas, with trucks operating between two terminals in Dallas and Houston. Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR) currently operates trucks on the route, but these trucks still have a driver onboard as a failsafe.
Urmson discussed how data management will change with potential expansion, noting that each vehicle they pilot collects significant amounts of data. As the company grows, this data will grow exponentially, increasing its data management needs.
“One of the things that becomes clear is that most of that data nobody ever looks at and nobody cares about,” Urmson said. “We talk about what triggers ‘this was an interesting moment’ and is useful to make the system better, that’s what we want to gather. Do we get to a point where we can’t just keep it all? Yes. Do we actually think that that’s either a real challenge or a problem? Probably not.”
The event, which was moderated by Technology Council President and CEO Audrey Russo, included an audience Q&A. When asked about potential job losses due to automation, Urmson stated that in the long run, he expects Aurora to generate more jobs than it automates.
“The more efficient the economy gets the more each person can produce, and that creates more employment,” Urmson said.
Additionally, Urmson stated that he believes that “if you’re a truck driver today, you are going to be able to retire a truck driver” because Aurora’s development plans involve long-haul driving, leaving a market for short-haul drivers.
Urmson also addressed a similar question relating to the automation of advertising and sales using artificial intelligence.
“We’re not in a very automated sales cycle right now,” Urmson said, adding that they feel the need to meet with people directly because customers "want to make sure that it is safe and that the people they are working with are people they can trust to deliver something safe.” He went on to say that that could change once Aurora has gained more consumer trust.
