Waymo is hoping to expand its vehicle automation efforts to delivery trucks in a challenge to similar plans by rival firm Uber. The self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet is gambling that autonomous vehicles will take over long distance haulage in the coming years. Waymo is testing a single Peterbilt truck at its private track in California, as well as conducting manual testing on public roads, to collect data. Uber previously announced it was working on autonomous trucking through its Otto unit, which it acquired last year. Otto is aiming to equip trucks with software, sensors, lasers and cameras so they eventually will be able to navigate the more than 220,000 miles of US highways on their own, while a human driver naps in the back of the cab or handles other tasks.

Japanese shipping companies want to build self-navigating cargo ships. Working alongside shipbuilders, their goal is to develop new technology that can predict malfunctions, reduce maritime accidents and improve efficiency. The plan is to implement an AI-driven steering system that could lay out the shortest, safest and most fuel-efficient routes based on information about things like weather and any obstacles that might be in a ship's way. Participating companies have agreed to share both expertise and costs, which are expected to top hundreds of millions of dollars, and they hope to construct around 250 ships with the new technology. Ultimately, the companies aim to implement completely unmanned shipping at some point in the future.