Waymo targets 1 million weekly robotaxi rides in 17 cities by year-end

12 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Apr 29

Waymo, backed by Alphabet, is expanding to London and aims to operate in ten US cities plus seven more globally, leveraging advanced AI systems.
The company’s fifth-generation Driver, powered by Google’s Gemini AI, enables vehicles to predict pedestrian actions and improve safety, driving rapid international expansion and competition with rivals like Zoox, Wayve, and Baidu.
With tens of billions invested industry-wide, robotaxi operators including Uber, Tesla, and Chinese firms are racing to capture the $1 trillion US rideshare market, while regulatory and technological challenges remain.

With billions in losses, can Waymo's expensive model survive against cheaper AI-first rivals?

As China's robotaxis expand globally, what are the geopolitical and data privacy implications?

How will the rise of robotaxis reshape the future of personal car ownership and urban design?

Will AI-driven robotaxis truly reduce city traffic, or will they just create more congestion?

Can AI predict human behavior well enough to be safer than a human driver in all situations?

Who is liable when a self-learning AI driver, not a human, causes a fatal accident?