MISSOULA — In large cities across the country, fully autonomous taxis are here.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Outside of those cities however— not so much.
But one Missoula technology company is trying to change that.
CubCloud AI has recently applied for Tesla's Cybercab services, potentially bringing fully self-driving vehicles to Missoula.
“It's just truly something that will change all of our lives. I really look forward to, like, how much it can better the human. I don't know if I want to call it the human condition, but like the human experience,” said Drew Surratt, chief community officer for CubCloud AI.
Surratt owns a Tesla Model Y and uses its self-driving feature 92% of the time.
He says the Cybercabs they just applied for will provide a similar experience.
“It drove me all the way back from Spokane fully autonomously through the passes, through everything, through the snow. There was just one moment on that coming down to the Idaho Pass where it kind of shifted on a turn, but then corrected and it was fine,” said Surratt.
CubCloud AI is a Montana-based AI technology company, owning its own servers for AI usage with a plan to expand in Montana.
Surratt says that in the coming years, he expects people around Montana’s cities will soon be shifting how they get around town.
“A lot of people take Ubers or Lyfts, like when they're downtown drinking (with) their friends. They can take a Cybercab now. And you know, it'll be way cheaper and they'll still get them home and then they don't have to worry about tipping anyone,” said Surratt.
Surratt also says that while the Cybercabs have the potential to eliminate certain ride-sharing jobs, the AI-assisted taxis could also bring more, for things like upkeep of the vehicles.
“It won't be able to deliver food. It won't be a DoorDash driver. It is purely getting people delivered from one place to another. And if you can do something and save Americans money, save Montanans money, when money is so tight right now, I think we should do that,” said Surratt.
Beyond the Cybercabs, Surratt says that his company is trying to take a local approach to AI implementation.
“I'd rather have someone do it from within Montana than, like a tech oligarch from outside saying you can't have this or you can't do this or this is going to be dictated to you. I feel like that's against Montana values,” said Surrat.
CubCloud AI plans to purchase six cybercabs initially, at a cost of $30,000 each, something that individuals may also do, although there is no distinct timeline of when they may come, as they're at the will of Tesla.
