What does a fully autonomous, electric, high-performance race car have to do with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? For starters, the vehicle, developed by Roborace, is providing a testing ground for new efforts to build public trust in how next-generation vehicles could improve road safety and reduce the 1.35 million annual road deaths worldwide (SDG 3.6). Increased use of autonomous, electric, connected vehicles could also reduce emissions, improve traffic flows -- and provide affordable, safe and sustainable transport systems to underdeveloped nations (SDG 11.2). But how do we go from race track to the road? A panel of experts – Bryn Balcombe, CSO at Roborace and Founder of the Autonomous Drivers Alliance; Lucas di Grassi, Formula-E World Champion and CEO at Roborace; and Fred Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement at ITU's Standardization Bureau – met at Web Summit 2019 to discuss how AI will make our roads safer, and how ITU is helping lead the charge.

Roborace has long talked of completely driverless cars hitting the track when its first season gets underway, but the company has had a change of heart. CEO (and Formula E winner) Lucas di Grassi has revealed to Motorsport.com that Roborace's "Season Alpha" will use a new DevBot 2.0 car with space for a human driver. The organic crews will take the wheel for part of the race, with the autonomous component taking control for the rest. The picture of a driver hopping out of the car "better exemplifies" the differences between piloted and autonomous driving, di Grassi said. He also argued that racing needs a "human component."

You've probably been there: Something stressful is happening in your life, and you're feeling more anxious than usual. You'd love to talk to someone about it, but you don't know who to turn to. Therapy is one option, but A) it can be crazy expensive, and B) you don't want to be that person who has to see a shrink. Turns out, there is no that person. Roughly one in every five Americans, or about 43 million people, suffers from mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.