A driverless car in London performed an emergency stop after its artificial intelligence system mistook an advertisement on the side of a bus for a group of pedestrians. The incident, revealed by a software engineering professor, highlights ongoing challenges with autonomous vehicle technology.
The vehicle, which had no one in the front seat, slammed on its brakes after the AI interpreted life-size actors on a poster promoting the spy film The Man from U.N.C.L.E as real people. Professor John McDermid of the University of York disclosed the mishap during a briefing at the Science Media Centre.
Professor McDermid said: “One of the automated vehicle companies I work with had a situation where their vehicle did a sudden emergency stop because it’s all pedestrians in the road, except they weren’t. It was a life-size advert on the side of a bus, but to an AI, it was human beings.”
Experts warn that during trials, driverless cars have struggled to distinguish real people from images, navigate roundabouts, identify rule-breaking by pedestrians, and adjust speed on tight curves. The incident raises concerns about robotaxis potentially colliding with other vehicles on UK roads.
US robocab firm Waymo is set to launch its driverless taxi service in London in September, with a pilot service expected as soon as April. Waymo’s cars are currently being mapped by safety drivers, but will eventually operate without anyone inside, relying solely on lidar, vision, radar and microphone sensors.
The UK government has agreed to change legislative regulations later this year to allow driverless vehicles to operate in London, though no specific date has been set. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, promises a “competitive” yet “premium” pricing for users.
