For the Microsoft co-founder , we are still a decade away from this technology reaching the necessary maturity.
Billionaire Bill Gates has something in common with Elon Musk : they both believe in the potential of autonomous vehicles, those that drive themselves.
The Microsoft co-founder wrote an article on his blog entitled “The rules on the road are about to change”, where he explained his fascination with this type of vehicle.
Autonomous Vehicles: Not Ready Yet
Unlike Elon Musk , who has even advertised autonomous driving in his Teslas, Bill Gates believes that this technology has not yet matured enough.
For the philanthropist, this technology will only reach the necessary maturity in about 10 years.
“When it happens, autonomous vehicles will change transportation dramatically like the PC changed office work,” he said.
Bill Gates wrote his reflections after testing an autonomous vehicle from the British startup Wayve.
In a video on YouTube, Bill Gates is seen walking the streets of London.
“The car drove us into central London, which is one of the most difficult environments to navigate, and it was surreal how the car dodged all the traffic,” he wrote of the experience.
Bill Gates predicts that personal autonomous vehicles will be the last to arrive. He first believes that they will reach the merchandise transport industry (trucks and delivery), taxis and rental cars.
Eventually, Bill Gates assumes that autonomous vehicles will be cheaper than “regular” ones, with the potential to help the elderly and those with disabilities. Of course, they will be massive in “decades”, according to his projection.