Speaking with us at MOVE 2026, we heard from the brilliant James Peng, Co-Founder and CEO of Pony.ai, who shared his insights on global expansion, regulatory alignment, and the evolving role of AI in autonomous driving.
We discuss the complex balancing act required to scale a driverless fleet, using Pony.ai’s multi-region footprint as a case study for managing deep technical complexity. James explores how advanced AI has matured into a standard feature across their ecosystem, powering predictive “world models” for system simulations and large language models (LLMs) to enhance passenger interaction.
James reflects on his experience working across distinct international markets, noting that underneath regional rule disparities, regulators worldwide share similar core priorities: public safety, data protection, and stabilizing the socioeconomic impact on traditional shared transit.
When asked about the future architecture of urban transit, James highlighted that autonomous vehicles will continue to thrive alongside human drivers in a hybrid network for years to come. He underscores that as driverless operations expand, strategic regional collaborations, such as Pony.ai’s current initiatives with partners like Stellantis, Uber, and Bolt, remain vital for establishing community trust and smoothly transitioning local workforces into technical support roles.
Watch the full interview with MOVEmnt.net Editor Eve Stevens below.
