00:01Imagine waking up tomorrow morning, and every car in America can drive itself.
00:06No steering wheel needed, no pedals, no road rage, no one yelling, get out of my way.
00:12You simply get inside, say where you want to go, and the car takes over.
00:17At first it sounds like the greatest invention in human history.
00:21Millions of people could finally stop worrying about driving.
00:24But there's one problem.
00:25What happens when every single car becomes self-driving at the exact same time?
00:30The answer could completely transform America.
00:33It's 7.30 in the morning. Millions of Americans are heading to work.
00:37Parents are taking their kids to school.
00:39Trucks are delivering packages. People are rushing to airports.
00:42Normally America's roads would already be packed.
00:45But today is different.
00:47You open your front door and see something strange.
00:50Cars are moving, but nobody is driving them.
00:52Your neighbour's SUV pulls out of the driveway by itself.
00:56A school bus arrives without a driver.
00:58A delivery truck turns onto the street completely empty.
01:02You step inside your own car.
01:04The doors lock automatically.
01:06You say, take me to work.
01:08And the car moves.
01:10At first it feels like magic.
01:12The vehicle knows the speed limit.
01:14It watches pedestrians.
01:16It predicts traffic.
01:17It communicates with other vehicles.
01:18And because every car is connected, they can theoretically coordinate with each other.
01:24Instead of thousands of humans making random decisions every second, the vehicles could react almost instantly.
01:31That means fewer sudden lane changes.
01:33Fewer distracted drivers.
01:35Fewer people texting behind the wheel.
01:38And potentially, far fewer crashes.
01:41But then something unexpected happens.
01:43The cars begin optimising the roads.
01:46Thousands of vehicles start choosing different routes.
01:49Some take side streets.
01:51Others change highways.
01:52And suddenly, a quiet residential neighbourhood becomes a major traffic corridor.
01:58Hundreds of cars begin passing through streets that were never designed for them.
02:02People look outside their windows in confusion.
02:04And then comes an even bigger problem.
02:06Who controls the cars?
02:08If your vehicle is making decisions automatically, it needs software.
02:12And software can fail.
02:14Imagine millions of vehicles receiving the same incorrect update.
02:19Or a communication network going down.
02:22Or a major navigation system suddenly becoming unavailable.
02:26For a few minutes, America's transportation system could become extremely unpredictable.
02:31And there's another issue most people wouldn't think about.
02:34Jobs.
02:35Millions of Americans make a living connected to driving.
02:38Truck drivers.
02:39Taxi drivers.
02:40Rideshare drivers.
02:42Delivery drivers.
02:43Bus drivers.
02:44Valet workers.
02:45Driving instructors.
02:46If cars suddenly became fully autonomous overnight, an enormous part of the transportation
02:52workforce could be disrupted almost instantly.
02:54But the biggest change might happen somewhere you wouldn't expect.
02:58Parking lots.
02:59Think about it.
02:59If your car doesn't need you, why would it stay parked outside your office all day?
03:05It could simply drop you off.
03:06Then drive somewhere else.
03:08Maybe it picks up another passenger.
03:11Maybe it delivers packages.
03:12Maybe it goes home.
03:14Suddenly, giant parking lots become unnecessary.
03:16And cities could reclaim enormous amounts of land.
03:20Parking garages could become apartments.
03:22Parking lots could become parks.
03:24Old gas stations could become charging stations.
03:27Entire neighborhoods could be redesigned.
03:30But here's where things get really interesting.
03:32If you don't have to drive, how far away would you be willing to live?
03:36Imagine living two hours from your workplace.
03:40Normally that's exhausting.
03:41But if you can sleep, work, watch movies, or eat breakfast, two hours inside a car might not feel like
03:48two hours of driving.
03:49People could start moving farther away from cities.
03:52Suburbs could expand.
03:54Small towns could suddenly become extremely valuable.
03:57And the traditional idea of the daily commute could completely disappear.
04:00But there's a darker possibility.
04:03If traveling becomes incredibly easy, people might travel much more.
04:08Instead of staying home because traffic is terrible, you might simply tell your car to drive you somewhere.
04:14Want dinner 50 miles away?
04:16No problem.
04:17Want to visit another city?
04:19Just get inside.
04:21Want to send an empty car across town to pick something up?
04:24Easy.
04:24That means autonomous cars could actually increase the number of miles vehicles travel.
04:29And more miles could mean more energy consumption.
04:32So even if autonomous cars make transportation safer, they wouldn't automatically solve every environmental problem.
04:39And then comes the question everyone would ask.
04:42What happens when the car makes a decision you don't agree with?
04:45Imagine you're late for work.
04:47Your car refuses to speed.
04:49You tell it to take a shortcut.
04:50It says no, you want to stop somewhere.
04:52The system chooses another route.
04:55Your vehicle isn't just a machine anymore.
04:57It's making decisions on your behalf.
05:00And that creates an entirely new relationship between humans and technology.
05:04Eventually, you might stop thinking of your car as something you control.
05:08It becomes something you trust.
05:10And trust changes everything.
05:12Because if you trust your car enough, you might stop paying attention to the road.
05:15You could sleep during your commute.
05:18Watch a movie.
05:19Play games.
05:20Work on your laptop.
05:21Have breakfast.
05:22Even hold a meeting.
05:24The inside of your car could become your second office at your bedroom or your living room.
05:29And highways could become completely different places.
05:32Imagine looking through your window and seeing thousands of vehicles traveling in perfectly coordinated formations.
05:38Cars accelerating together.
05:41Braking together.
05:42Changing lanes together.
05:44No honking.
05:45No aggressive drivers.
05:47No random traffic jams.
05:49It could look almost futuristic.
05:51But here's the biggest twist.
05:53Self-driving cars wouldn't just change driving.
05:55They could change the way America is built.
05:57Where people live.
05:59Where businesses operate.
06:01How cities are designed.
06:03How goods are delivered.
06:04How much land is used for parking.
06:07And even how much time humans spend working.
06:10A technology that begins with.
06:12My car can drive itself could eventually become.
06:16My entire transportation system runs without humans.
06:19And that raises one final question.
06:21If every car could drive itself tomorrow, would you trust it enough to get in?
06:26Because the first self-driving car might change your morning.
06:29But millions of self-driving cars could change the entire world.
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