How Grand Theft Auto Steers Driverless Cars

The hit video game is a perfect simulation for autonomous tech.  “Just relying on data from the roads is not practical”

- Dan Hull

In the race to the autonomous revolution, software developers have realised there aren’t enough hours in the day to teach cars how to drive themselves safely over real-world miles. So they’ve turned to a secret weapon to speed things up: Grand Theft Auto V.

Researchers and engineers are increasingly relying on the blockbuster video game and other simulations to test and train what may eventually be the family sedan. Companies such as Ford Motor Co. and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo driverless-car unit may boast of putting hands-free models on the market in three years, but there’s still a lot to learn about getting algorithms to correctly respond when, say, a mattress falls offa truck on the freeway.