CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — At a recent Senate hearing, the American autonomous driving technology company Waymo revealed that it’s using remote agents in the Philippines to assist its self-driving cars, sparking discussions about the company’s safety.
Waymo’s executives have revealed that 35 of their remote “fleet response agents” are located in the Philippines. These agents represent half of their active support staff and are responsible for guiding their autonomous vehicles during unusual traffic situations.
However, and understandably so, the logistics and potential road-knowledge mismatch of these agents have led the Senate committee to question Waymo’s safety. This discussion also came at a significant time, as reports of a Waymo vehicle hitting a child in Santa Monica caused several groups to demand the revocation of the company’s license to operate.
Fleet Agents Provide Guidance, Not Drive the Vehicles
Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts probed the company’s executives about the safety of their operations. He emphasized that “people overseas influencing American vehicles is a safety issue,” and that “the information the operators receive could be out of date,” which can result in the inability to react accordingly to certain dangerous scenarios.
To this, Dr. Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, reiterated that these fleet agents only provide guidance and aren’t remotely driving the vehicles, likening the operations to “phoning a friend.” He specified that Waymo’s system is still in full control of the dynamic driving task.
When the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information to contextualize its environment. The Waymo Driver (software) does not rely solely on the inputs it receives from the fleet response agent, and it is in control of the vehicle.
Ultimately, Waymo’s software has the final say over its driving decisions, having the authority to accept or reject suggestions from the agents.
Dr. Peña has also stressed that their agents are qualified for the job. They’re licensed drivers who undergo several background checks, including driving record reviews and training on U.S. traffic rules and emergency scenarios.
The Expansion of Philippine Outsourcing
Underneath these discussions and the commotion, Waymo’s revelation also underscores the imminent growth of the Philippine outsourcing industry. It highlights its expansion to more verticals beyond the typical healthcare, property management, or retail services. This opens exciting new paths for Philippine outsourcing providers and their workforce in the near future.
