Argo AI has assembled a team of independent experts to supervise the safety of its self-driving cars

Argo AI announced the creation of a council of independent experts to supervise the safe deployment of their technology as autonomous car testing picks up.

According to the firm, the startup will “offer input on Argo’s safety and security methods and standards, including maintaining a world-class safety culture, growing safely across numerous cities and countries, and responsibly launching and managing commercial driverless services.”

The news comes as public opinion seems to be shifting against autonomous cars (AVs), with recent polls indicating that over half of Americans believe AVs are a “poor idea” for society. It also comes as the Biden administration continues to investigate incidents involving driverless cars as it considers new industry rules.

The Argo Safety Advisory Council aims to improve the public’s view of AVs while also increasing openness to the work done behind the scenes.

Argo AI, like other AV businesses with vehicles on the road, has been involved in a few accidents. In 2018, one of the company’s self-driving vehicles was involved in a crash in Pittsburgh that sent two individuals to the hospital. As part of the National Highway Traffic Administration’s AV incident reporting, Argo AI recorded ten collisions involving one of its autonomous test cars.

For the last several years, Argo has been testing its fourth-generation cars in Miami, Washington, DC, and Austin, Texas, as well as Pittsburgh, Detroit, and California locations. In addition, beginning in 2025, the business plans to establish an autonomous micro-transit and delivery service in Germany alongside VW, using its fifth-generation autonomous technology. Following Waymo, Cruise, and Motional, Argo is the third company to regularly test its cars without human safety drivers behind the wheel.