For more than a decade now, the confluence of new information and communication technologies have been steadily transforming how we get around. These changes are already all around us—when we hail a ride or plug in our car or rent an e-bike—and they’re just getting started.
But the future, as always, is still far from being evenly distributed. If you live in San Francisco or Phoenix, you may already be taking regular rides in a fully driverless robotaxi, but if you live in New York or Chicago the driverless future may still seem like a fantasy.
Though some investments in mobility technology may have created fortunes and household names, many others have ended in disappointment. Though the transformative power of software and AI is undeniable, the physical world remains an unrelentingly difficult place to change in the fundamental ways that mobility requires.
In the wake of recent challenges it might be easy to conclude that mobility technology has hit a high water mark. That the wave of momentum that has created countless exciting startups and a few enduringly transformative companies has crested. This could not be farther from the truth.
Though excitement and hype are the motor that drives acceptance and adoption of new technologies, they are not enough to overcome the knotty challenges that come when the controllable world of ones and zeroes collides with the messy complexity of the real world. There comes a time where we need to step back, survey the successes and challenges of the journey so far, and learn the hard lessons that will carry us forward. Where the infighting and goldrushing take a back seat to conversations that illuminate the path forward, and uplift everyone who is working to make mobility smarter.
The time has come for those of us who imagine better ways of getting around to come together and share what we’ve learned along the way. To shrug off the orthodoxies that have held us back, cast light on the unappreciated successes, and celebrate the quiet achievers. To relate the highs and lows of our journeys toward a world of smarter, safer, and more resilient transportation, so that others may see the path forward and bring new energy to our shared mission.
This is my goal for the Ride AI conference, and I’m proud to partner with the leaders behind the Micromobility Conference to bring these conversations to life. I do hope you will join me.
