China’s cities will soon be crawling with self-driving robotaxis

As the taxi drove itself through Shenzhen’s bustling streets, Bill Russo marveled from the passenger seat. Be it a scooter making a u-turn in front of the robotaxi, or a nearby driver who decided to go straight instead of following the legal left or right turns marked on the road, there was no shortage of obstacles for the self-driving car.

The Chinese government’s investments in autonomous cars and 5G are supporting a series of new pilot programs in densely populated Chinese metropolises—a bid to stay competitive with the U.S.

“China clearly has an effective national strategy that makes artificial intelligence a priority, and the government invests far more than the United States,” he says. “This is something that I think the U.S. needs to take seriously.”