"I believe the technology was deployed too quickly in too vast amounts, with hundreds of vehicles, when it wasn't really ready," one police official told federal regulators last month. Emergency first-responder leaders told federal regulators in a private meeting last month that they were frustrated with the performance of autonomous vehicles on their streets--that city firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and paramedics are forced to spend time during emergencies resolving issues with frozen or stuck cars. One fire official called them "a safety issue for our crews as well as the victims." WIRED obtained an audio recording of the meeting. Officials from San Francisco and Austin, where Waymo has been ferrying passengers without drivers for more than a year, said the vehicles' performance is getting worse.

State and local officials need to act proactively to make sure that widespread use of self-driving vehicles doesn't leave out historically disadvantaged communities, a team of researchers from the Urban Institute warned in a new report. The researchers said a broad shift from human drivers to software-piloted vehicles could help poor people and non-white communities, if the technology can reduce the number of traffic deaths and cut down on the air pollution that disproportionately affects those residents. Autonomous vehicles could also increase transportation options for older people or people with disabilities, the Urban analysts said. But none of those advantages are guaranteed, they cautioned. "The degree to which [autonomous vehicles] change the transportation system and society overall will be mediated by regulatory choices at the local, state and federal levels," the researchers wrote in their report. "If [autonomous vehicles] ultimately reinforce inequitable access to transportation, reduce public transit use, increase [the amount of driving], increase congestion and exacerbate the causes of climate change, this technological advancement may ultimately fall short of its full promise--or even worsen the existing problems endemic to the automobile-dominated US transportation system," they added.

Given the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making tools in consumer-facing decisions, we expect federal regulators in 2022 to continue their recent track record of interest in potential discrimination and unfairness, as well as data accuracy and transparency. Significant technological developments in these areas and the increasing use of data analytics to make automated decisions will likely result in further regulatory action this year in three key areas: (1) assessing whether AI and algorithms are excluding particular consumer groups in an unfair and discriminatory manner, whether intentionally or not; (2) evaluating whether collected data accurately reflects real-world facts and whether companies are giving consumers an opportunity to correct mistakes; and (3) assessing whether automated decisionmaking tools are being used in a transparent manner. Over the last year, federal regulators with enforcement authority in the consumer space--the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)--have expressed their intention to continue enforcement efforts. The FTC has identified "technology companies and digital platforms," "bias in algorithms and biometrics," and "deceptive and manipulative conduct on the Internet" as among its top enforcement priorities for the coming years, and directed staff to use compulsory processes to demand documents and testimony to investigate potential abuses in these areas. The FTC and the CFPB have each initiated or continued investigations into practices involving the collection of consumer data and the use of data analytics in consumer decisions, including the use of AI and algorithms by financial institutions, digital payment platforms, and social media, and video streaming firms.

Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly,

Until recently, artificial intelligence has struggled to gain a foothold on Wall Street. In the last few years, large investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have hired artificial intelligence specialists away from academia and put them in charge of their internal AI divisions. Financial technology start-ups have begun using machine-learning algorithms to model credit ratings and detect fraud. And hedge funds and high-frequency traders are using AI to make investment decisions. Politicians are starting to take notice.

Until recently, artificial intelligence has struggled to gain a foothold on Wall Street. In the last few years, large investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have hired artificial intelligence specialists away from academia and put them in charge of their internal AI divisions. Financial technology start-ups have begun using machine-learning algorithms to model credit ratings and detect fraud. And hedge funds and high-frequency traders are using AI to make investment decisions. Politicians are starting to take notice.

Federal regulators have announced plans to allow drone operators to fly their unmanned aerial vehicles over populated areas and at night. A Wing Hummingbird drone from Project Wing arrives and sets down its package at a delivery location in Blacksburg, Va., last year. Federal regulators have announced plans to allow drone operators to fly their unmanned aerial vehicles over populated areas and at night. A Wing Hummingbird drone from Project Wing arrives and sets down its package at a delivery location in Blacksburg, Va., last year. Package delivery by drone is one small step closer to reality today.

The Trump administration has taken a hands-off approach to regulating self-driving cars, but on Friday, federal regulators decided that one self-driving car project had gone too far. In a sharply worded statement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has ordered the French transportation company Transdev to stop transporting schoolchildren in a self-driving vehicle in Florida. Transdev's pilot project in Babcock Ranch, a planned community, was quite modest. On Fridays, Transdev's electric shuttle would take a group of elementary-aged children to school, then take them home later in the day. The vehicle had a safety driver on board.

Google is reportedly going to launch a censored version of its search engine in China. The tech giant has been secretly planning to launch the product since last year, as part of a project referred to inside the company as'Dragonfly,' according to The Intercept, which was given internal documents from a whistleblower. It comes as Google has tried and failed to make inroads in the Chinese market over the past several years. Google has been planning to launch the product since last year, as part of a project referred to inside the company as'Dragonfly.' While China is home to the world's largest number of internet users, a 2015 report by US think tank Freedom House found that the country had the most restrictive online use policies of 65 nations it studied, ranking below Iran and Syria.

Seven years after Google started developing robocars, 13 months after a Florida man died in a Tesla Model S that was driving itself, and almost a year after self-driving Ubers started picking up passengers in Pennsylvania, Congress might actually start regulating autonomous vehicles. Nearly everyone working on this emerging technology, from automakers to the tech companies to the government watchdogs, agrees that it's about time. The robocars scurrying about places like Austin and Boston and San Francisco operate under a mélange of state and local rules that lay down different requirements and appease myriad special interests. And if this patchwork persists, bringing these cars to the market could be a major headache. Last week, the Senate published bipartisan principles outlining what the legislation might look like.