Xiaodi Hou, Founder & CEO of Bot Auto joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how DeepSeek is transforming AI development and its potential impact on autonomous driving.

Dr. Hou views DeepSeek as an engineering breakthrough rather than a scientific one—challenging traditional approaches to AI model development. Unlike many companies in the field, DeepSeek has shown that powerful models can be created by optimizing systems and creatively managing resource constraints.

There are strong parallels between DeepSeek’s approach and Bot Auto’s strategy of being scrappy and cost-effective. This “DeepSeek moment” could mark a turning point for autonomous driving, where commercialization and efficiency become the primary drivers of technological advancement.

Recorded on Monday, February 3, 2025

Episode Chapters

0:00 DeepSeek

9:35 Resources Needed to Build an Autonomous Driving Model (Pre-DeepSeek)

15:44 Open-Source LLMs

23:54 Prioritization 

26:08 Building the Bot Auto Autonomous Driving Model

33:37 Miles Driven and Autonomous Driving Models

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