The Tesla Cybercub Robotaxi: More AI Than Automotive

The presentation of the Tesla Cybercub Robotaxi projects Musk's company beyond the automotive sector because "it is increasingly becoming a big tech, a software house with an absolutely original position in the evolution of artificial intelligence." These are the observations of Edoardo Narduzzi, CEO of Mashfrog Group, speaking to Class CNBC.

Rather than an ultra-evolved car, the Tesla Cybercub, presented with the grand showbiz of Las Vegas, resembles "a sort of next-generation smartphone," Narduzzi remarked. "The engine had already disappeared with the electric car, and now even the controls or the steering wheel are disappearing, which are the symbols of the automobile".

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While the global debate is focused on Generative AI, Musk's autonomous car brings to light the near horizon of Symbolic Artificial Intelligence. "Generative AI is not how our brain works," Narduzzi noted, "because when we approach a traffic light, we don’t process a statistical regression to figure out whether to brake, accelerate, or take other actions. Our intelligence works by associating meaning with the symbol of the red light, and AI aims to create something increasingly similar to how our brain functions."

Tesla's hybrid profile, straddling tech and automotive, gives it "a greater ability to keep up with innovation," and its competitive advantage in this journey is substantial in the long run. Despite the challenge of reducing average production costs, the gradual spread of autonomous vehicles could allow Musk to process a massive data base.

"We don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes, the platforms being used, or the levels of development reached," Narduzzi said, but we must consider that Tesla "is already a key player in the automotive industry, with a huge fleet of cars already on the road, and now it’s accelerating with autonomous driving." This gives Tesla a notable positioning advantage in the long race against competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo, Baidu’s robotaxi, or General Motors’ Cruise.

The robotaxi showbiz on October 17 doesn’t change the overall vision of the race among the 'Magnificent 7' in Artificial Intelligence, but according to Narduzzi, the profiles are becoming clearer, with Apple undergoing a transformation into a software asset vendor, positioning itself 'under the radar' as a competitor to Microsoft in innovative consumer products.