Why Waymo and Tesla Rely on Remote Overseas Operators [Prime Cyber Insights]

[00:00] Aaron Cole: Welcome to Prime Cyber Insights. [00:02] Aaron Cole: I'm joined today by Lauren. [00:03] Aaron Cole: We're tracking a major development out of Washington that's pulling back the curtain on the autonomous future. [00:09] Aaron Cole: During a congressional hearing this week, Waymo and Tesla executives admitted that their driverless fleets aren't quite as independent as the marketing suggests. [00:19] Lauren Mitchell: Thanks, Aaron. [00:20] Lauren Mitchell: This testimony from Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, and Tesla's Lars Moravi, [00:26] Lauren Mitchell: is a real reality check for the industry. [00:29] Lauren Mitchell: Specifically, the disclosure that these companies rely on human operators in the Philippines [00:34] Lauren Mitchell: to help vehicles navigate complex situations. [00:37] Aaron Cole: The stakes here are incredibly high, Lauren. [00:40] Aaron Cole: This comes just a week after a Waymo robotaxie injured a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica. [00:47] Aaron Cole: which triggered a federal probe. [00:49] Aaron Cole: Now we're learning that when these cars get stumped, [00:52] Aaron Cole: they reach out to humans living thousands of miles away. [00:56] Lauren Mitchell: Peña argues these agents provide guidance, not remote driving. [01:01] Lauren Mitchell: Waymo calls it a phone-of-friends system, where humans view real-time camera feeds to propose paths for the vehicle to consider. [01:09] Lauren Mitchell: But as we see in the technical documentation, these agents are determining lanes and making major navigation decisions. [01:17] Aaron Cole: Exactly. And Tesla isn't exempt, Lauren. [01:21] Aaron Cole: Lars Moravee confirmed they use similar layers. [01:24] Aaron Cole: While they claim their core driving controls like steering and braking are isolated from outside access, [01:30] Aaron Cole: the dependency on a remote human link is exactly what has lawmakers like Senator Ed Markey sounding the alarm. [01:36] Lauren Mitchell: Markey's point is the core of our digital risk concern today. [01:41] Lauren Mitchell: He argues that having people overseas influencing American vehicles is a massive cybersecurity vulnerability. [01:48] Lauren Mitchell: He warned that these remote operations could be susceptible to physical takeover by hostile actors. [01:55] Aaron Cole: If a foreign actor gains driver-like control over thousands of heavy, fast-moving vehicles on American roads, [02:01] Aaron Cole: we aren't just talking about a data breach. [02:04] Aaron Cole: We're talking about a physical weapon. [02:06] Aaron Cole: The security of the connection to the Philippines becomes a national security issue. [02:10] Lauren Mitchell: The data backs up the urgency, Aaron. [02:13] Lauren Mitchell: Recent NHTSA data suggests Tesla's robotaxies are crashing three times more often than humans, even with monitors. [02:22] Lauren Mitchell: It's likely why Tesla quietly paused its unsupervised rides recently. [02:27] Lauren Mitchell: The gap between software and human intellect is still wide. [02:31] Aaron Cole: I mean, this highlights a glaring safety gap. [02:34] Aaron Cole: If the autonomous solution is actually a hybrid system involving overseas third parties, [02:40] Aaron Cole: the threat surface expands exponentially. [02:43] Aaron Cole: We have to ask if our infrastructure is ready for that kind of exposure. [02:47] Lauren Mitchell: It's a critical question as we move deeper into 2026. [02:51] Lauren Mitchell: Thanks for joining us for this deep dive into the hidden human element of AI transport, Aaron. [02:56] Aaron Cole: We'll keep tracking the intersection of automation and national security right here on Prime Cyber Insights. [03:03] Aaron Cole: For the full analysis, visit pci.neuralnewscast.com. [03:09] Aaron Cole: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:13] Aaron Cole: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.