Tech group urges Schumer to greenlight self-driving cars in AI bill

The Chamber of Progress is urging Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to speed up the deployment of self-driving vehicles in his proposed framework to regulate artificial intelligence.

The tech lobbying group, which is backed by tech giants and self-driving car companies, warned Schumer on Monday that the lack of federal standards for autonomous vehicles will undermine the nation’s competitiveness. 

“The United States faces the possibility of falling behind China in AI-powered autonomous vehicles unless significant steps are taken to support this sector, create thousands of advanced automotive jobs in the United States, and ensure the U.S.’s leadership in the field,” Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich wrote in a letter to Schumer.

The group said that Congress should pass legislation to establish a federal framework for self-driving vehicles and lift the cap on the number of exemptions companies can receive to deploy self-driving vehicles. 

The proposed overhauls would allow companies to test thousands more self-driving cars and trucks on public roads. While that would boost development of the technology, critics including prominent Democrats have raised concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles. 

Schumer earlier this month unveiled an AI framework aimed at boosting transparency and accountability for AI technology. He invited Republicans to help write the federal standards, arguing that the U.S. must not allow China to dominate AI innovation or write the rules.  

The Chamber of Progress is backed by General Motors-owned driverless car company Cruise and Apple and Google, which are developing their own self-driving vehicles. 

Cruise currently deploys driverless taxis in San Francisco. The company recently recalled hundreds of vehicles after one of its taxis crashed into the back of a bus. Cruise said that nobody was hurt in the accident and that the software error was fixed. 

Autonomous vehicle legislation has stalled in recent years despite outcry from the automotive and trucking industries. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told lawmakers last June that only Congress can create a true federal framework. 

The Chamber of Progress noted that China is “projected to become the largest autonomous driving market in the world.” It pointed to comments from Buttigieg stating that self-driving technology has the potential to make roadways safer.