A driverless ride-hailing car operated by Chinese tech giant Baidu hit a pedestrian in Wuhan, China, causing a stir on social media. Many are siding with the carmaker, as the pedestrian was reportedly crossing against the light.Baidu reported that the car started moving when the traffic light turned green and made minor contact with the pedestrian. The individual was taken to a hospital, where an examination found no obvious external injuries.
In May, Baidu recently launched the sixth generation of its driverless taxi, reducing the unit cost by more than half to under $30,000.The incident in China underscores the concern around driverless vehicles as the U.S. is on the verge of a significant increase in the deployment of autonomous vehicles. Companies like Aurora Innovation plan to roll out thousands of self-driving trucks on American highways within the next few years, the Associated Press reported in April.