This Fighter Pilot Knows Why Autonomous Machines Shouldn't Settle for Anything Less Than Perfection

There’s nothing worse than an almost perfect machine. If a machine misbehaves consistently, users will know not to trust it. But if it works right 99.9% of the time, by the time it fails, most humans will have given up on closely monitoring it. Professor Missy Cummings knows exactly how high those stakes can be — having famously served as one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots, before moving on to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and now serving as Director of George Mason University’s Autonomy and Robotics Center.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into what she sees as the hidden dangers lurking behind AVs: humans that are too quick to trust fallible machines, too much latency between vehicles and their remote operators, incomplete regulations and a desire to keep costs in line. (These are topics so important that we’ll be revisiting them at Curbivore in April, where we’re bringing together regulators from the CPUC, alongside AV and delivery bot leaders.)

Also on the pod, Greg, Sela and Jonah dive into London’s new microhub alliance, Florida’s senile new speed limits, delivery cos pushing into physical AI, high gas prices and more. Listen in!

Curbivore is just three weeks away, and we’re excited to share more of the iconic speakers joining us April 16 & 17 in Downtown Los Angeles. Hear from leaders pushing delivery robotics, micromobility, gig work, next-gen parking, and even the Olympic Games forward! Check out all our speakers, and secure your tickets now!