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In this episode, I chat with Professor Philip Koopman, a top voice in Autonomous Vehicle safety with nearly 30 years of experience in the field, and a longtime professor and researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. We talk about his transition out of academia, what originally motivated his writing on AV safety, and how the industry’s been responding (or not responding) to the standards he’s been advocating for.

Phil shares his take on Waymo’s safety record, Tesla’s robotaxi launch, and why measuring AV safety isn’t as simple as counting injuries and crashes. We also get into how public trust is built—or lost—and what AV companies need to be thinking about as they move from pilot to scale.

Just a note: we recorded this episode on 6/17 before Tesla’s robotaxi launch but focused 90% of the conversation on more broad AV themes and evergreen topics.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to Professor Philip Koopman

(01:31) Phil's transition from academia to consulting?

(02:14) What was the motivation behind Phil's writing on AV safety?

(05:20) Phil’s general outlook on the AV industry and companies.

(10:22) Thoughts on Waymo's safety record and industry challenges?

(17:50) How do freeways impact AV safety?

(21:24) What are the objective measures for AV safety?

(23:18) Some AV industry safety standards?

(24:46) What’s the flaw in counting injuries and fatalities in AV safety reporting?

(26:44) Real world examples of safety incidents beyond injuries and fatalities

(28:53) Legal implications of negligence

(31:55) Public perception and trust in AV technology, and how they’re shaped

(35:18) AV Companies’ outlook on public perception.

(39:14) What are your thoughts on Tesla’s Robotaxi deployment?

(47:10) Final thoughts and advice for AV companies

Phil Koopman’s Substack: Autonomous System Safety by Phil Koopman

- Harry

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