Robot Talk Episode 136 – Making driverless vehicles smarter, with Shimon Whiteson - Robohub

In episode 136 of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire interviews Shimon Whiteson, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and Senior Staff Research Scientist at Waymo UK, about advancements in machine learning for autonomous vehicles. Whiteson’s expertise lies in deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning, which he applies to robotics and video games. His academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin and faculty positions at the University of Amsterdam and Oxford. Notably, his spin-out company Latent Logic was acquired by Waymo in 2019, highlighting his significant contributions to the field. The discussion centers on how machine learning techniques are enhancing the intelligence and safety of driverless vehicles. Whiteson’s work at Waymo involves developing algorithms that enable autonomous cars to learn from complex environments and human behavior, improving their decision-making capabilities. This episode offers insights into the cutting-edge research driving the evolution of self-driving technology and the integration of AI in real-world applications.