Autonomous Vehicles: Toss a Coin to Your Robotaxi? Bank of America Says 'ChatGPT Moment' is Here!

A Witcher's Musings on Metal Steeds

Blast and damn! Heard some mages yapping about 'autonomous vehicles' and some 'ChatGPT moment'. Sounds like another cursed invention if you ask me. Bank of America a name I'd sooner associate with a griffin's hoard than reliable news claims it's a trillion dollar market. Trillion! That's more than I've earned slaying monsters in a century! Though to be fair most villagers try to pay me in rotten apples and the occasional 'promise of gratitude'. They're saying these metal monstrosities driven by soulless automatons are the future. Bah! I'll stick to Roach thank you very much. At least she doesn't need an oil change every few leagues.

Robotaxis Rising: Dimeritium Bombs Not Included (Yet)

Apparently these 'robotaxis' are already crawling through cities like Austin San Francisco and some place called Wuhan. Seven cities infected and twenty more soon to follow. They say AI and cheaper sensors are to blame. I say sounds like a good way to get lost in Novigrad without a map or a trusty bard. But I'll take that as a good challenge as I'm sure I can find my way back to The Rosemary and Thyme. It seems humans are determined to replace themselves with machines. Next they'll be wanting Golems to do the laundry and Fiends to change the diapers. The madness never ends!

The Drivers of Doom: AI Greed and a Car Race?

This 'strategist' – Martyn Briggs sounds like a librarian's name if you ask me – claims that AI breakthroughs and falling sensor costs are fueling this mechanical march. And a US China 'car race'? Sounds like a glorified chariot race but with less glory and more exploding engines. They estimate cars alone could be a $700 billion market by 2040. Bah! By then I'll be too old to swing a sword let alone chase down a runaway carriage powered by… what did they call it? 'Electrification'? Sounds like something a mage would use to fry a Drowner.

Brains and Bodies: The Companies Cashing In

Of course there are companies lining up to profit from this metal plague. Uber Amazon Nvidia and a whole host of others. Nvidia apparently is the darling of the mages... I mean investors. Something about 'accelerated compute' and 'AI training models'. Sounds like they're training these machines to take over the world. I've dealt with lesser evils that were easier to kill. I'll keep my silver sword sharp just in case.

Caterpillar: Digging Their Way to Riches (and Robot Uprising?)

And then there's Caterpillar... Apparently they make self driving trucks for mining. Because nothing says 'safe workplace' like a giant metal beast rumbling through a mine without a driver. They say it increases efficiency. I say it increases the chances of a rockslide and a very expensive funeral. But these fellows are really benefiting from this tech race. Perhaps they should sell those truck to the nilfgaardians; they sure need them.

Uber: Taxi Service from Hell (or at Least Skellige)

Lastly there's Uber. Partnering with every AV company under the sun they say. They seem to think these robotaxis will drive their stock value through the roof. Personally I'd rather walk through Crookback Bog than trust my life to a machine that probably hasn't even faced a Lesser Evil. But hey if you're looking for a ride to your doom Uber might just be your best bet. I think they should start offering a ride to Skellige Islands too I'm sure they would love the business.