Driverless car makes emergency stop after mistaking bus advert for real people

A driverless car performed an emergency stop after it mistook people shown on a movie advert on the side of a London bus as real. Boffins from the University of York have revealed the hi-tech blunder happened when the car scanned an ad promoting the 2015 film, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

John McDermid, a professor of software engineering, said the vehicle's AI system judged the life-sized image of actors in the film on the side of a bus as pedestrians in the road. London has been earmarked as the first city in the UK that could undergo a pilot of driverless taxis later this year.

Waymo, which is not the firm referenced by Prof McDermid, said this week it's gearing up to enter more than 20 other cities, including London and Tokyo. Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly rides. So-called robotaxis are already operational in California, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida.

During a briefing this week discussing his work with automated cars, Prof McDermid said: "One of the automated vehicle companies I work with had a situation where their vehicle did a sudden emergency stop because it's all pedestrians in the road, except they weren't."

The Telegraph reports he added that the actors pictured on the advert on the side of a bus were "life-sized" and that "to an AI, it was human beings".

Prof McDermid also highlighted AI in automated vehicles had trouble if pedestrians did not conform to the rules of the road, for example, if a person walked over a crossing despite the light being green for a car to proceed.

In December, Simon Lightwood, the Roads and Buses Minister, said: "Self-driving vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for Britain, opening up independent travel for disabled people and older adults, whilst driving growth in a cutting-edge industry that will create high-skilled jobs across the UK.

He added: "We're consulting widely to ensure self-driving vehicles deliver real benefits: greater independence for those who need it most, safer journeys for everyone and economic growth that puts Britain at the forefront of this global industry."