While driverless cars get the glory, an AI startup is shifting gears to tackle a road less traveled: automated trucks. Beijing-based TuSimple, is developing a driverless trucking platform, TuSimple CTO Xiaodi Hou explained in a conversation with Michael Copeland in this week's episode of the AI Podcast. A shortage of drivers in Beijing, coupled with the challenge of finding drivers willing to travel on deserted roads in areas with few amenities, only bolsters TuSimple's business case. "If you can show people that this tool can replace your existing tool and can make your tool chain cheaper, more productive, it's much easier to negotiate with people like that," Xiaodi says. The challenge lies in increasing a fully loaded truck's range of vision to over 200 meters or approximately 0.12 miles, using highly customized cameras and lenses, to ensure safety.