Spring 2018

Percentage of respondents agreeing with the statement: “I am in favor of self-driving cars and I can't wait to use them.”

Driverless cars could make our lives better – or worse. The better we plan for their impact, the more we improve our prospects. But are we on the right track now?

Futurists and technologists promote a vision of the autonomous future that is shiny and bright.

Peugeot isn’t coming back with a huge network of dealers and a full line of cars. It’s coming back as a “mobility partner” starting with an app called Free2Move that lets users access multiple ride-sharing, car-sharing and even bike-sharing providers in one place. It’s live in 10 countries, up and running in Seattle and expanding deeper into the U.S. this year. Actual car sales will follow. But as ownership models shift, Peugeot is in an unusual position for a legacy car manufacturer. When Dominique thinks What the Future, he’s wondering what it will take to get people to give up owning a car.

As you sit in traffic today, you’re surrounded by other cars, trucks, vans and buses all with one thing in common: They have drivers. Now take those drivers away. It’s one thing to daydream about an autonomous future.

Matt Sweeney was one of the first employees at Uber’s Advanced Technology Center and helped build the company’s autonomous division, which now numbers in the thousands of employees. It’s fair to  say he’s been watching this space closely and given it more thought than most. When he asks What the Future, he’s wondering when autonomous vehicles will take over, especially in ride-sharing. Specifically, how much of a factor will price be in that adoption?

Combining all the data that marketers already have on consumers with real-time location and automation would open up a new frontier for advertising. Do consumers want to live in that world?

The average American spends 52 minutes a day commuting, mostly by driving a car by themselves.