What to Expect at Tesla AI Day 2022 - PCMag

Tesla's AI Day, a yearly event for the tech-obsessed eager to see new ways the company is pushing the envelope, is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 in Palo Alto. It's expected to be live-streamed on the Tesla website and YouTube channel around 5 p.m. PT and promises lots of Big Musk Energy.

What Is Tesla AI Day?

AI Day is basically Tesla's version of an Apple event, but rather than product launches, the event will have a forward-looking focus. It's less about new Teslas, and more about emerging technologies the company is exploring. As Musk noted on Twitter, "this event is meant for recruiting AI & robotics engineers, so will be highly technical." Musk might even have us on Mars before some of the innovations discussed come to fruition.

To get a feel for what to expect, here's a replay of last year's two-hour livestream, in which Musk argues that Tesla is "much more than an electric car company."

The program features experts from various Tesla teams, who deep dive into the tech behind some of the company's most ambitious projects. Graphs and charts abound.

Optiumus Humanoid Robot, Hold the Spandex

The most anticipated potential reveal is a working Optimus humanoid robot prototype. On Twitter, Musk said he pushed this year's event from August to Sept. 30 because "we may have an Optimus prototype working by then."

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

Musk "introduced" the Optimus robot at last year's AI Day, though the android in question was actually a dancer wearing a spandex bodysuit. Viewers will be eager to see what progress the company has made since then. Eventually, Musk wants to deploy “thousands of Humanoid Robots" in Tesla factories, according to a new job listing(Opens in a new window) for the Tesla Bot program.

Three Letters: FSD (Full Self-Driving)

Last week, Musk tweeted(Opens in a new window) that Tesla's "Autopilot/AI team is also working on Optimus and (actually smart) summon/autopark, which have end of month deadlines," so self-driving tech is likely on the agenda for AI Day.

Tesla has been prepping self-driving technology for years, with mixed results. Autopilot is standard on all new Teslas, but don't let its name fool you: It's not an autonomous driving system, and drivers must remain alert and focused on the road while Autopilot is engaged.

"When used properly, Autopilot reduces your overall workload as a driver," Tesla says(Opens in a new window).

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

There are three levels(Opens in a new window) of self-driving Tesla tech: Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Capability. The latter are added via software updates; Enhanced Autopilot costs $6,000(Opens in a new window), while FSD is $15,000(Opens in a new window). As of July, Tesla had 100,000 "city streets" FSD beta testers.

Autopilot includes traffic-aware cruise control and autosteer. Enhanced Autopilot adds auto lane change, autopark, summon, and the more complex smart summon. FSD should enable autosteer on city streets, as well as traffic and stop sign control.

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The FSD beta has been met with mixed reviews(Opens in a new window) and even lawsuits that claim Musk has overstated its features and not produced anything near FSD to this point. AI Day offers the chance to provide an update on the FSD beta that turns that perception around.

Bring on the Robotaxis?

One application for Tesla's FSD functionality could be autonomous taxis. In an April earnings call, Musk said(Opens in a new window) he plans to bring Tesla-based robotaxis to market by 2024. The vehicles will be designed for full automation, so no steering wheels or pedals.

Musk seems to think "a robotaxi ride will cost less than a...subsidized bus ticket or a subsidized subway ticket." If so, robotaxis "really will be a massive driver of Tesla’s growth," he said.

FSD for existing Tesla drivers seems to be the more immediate priority, but 2024 is just around the corner, so we may hear more at AI Day. And if Tesla branches out into water taxis, the long-awaited Cybertruck may be able to help there, Musk joked today:

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

More Mojo for Dojo

Venkataraman holds up the D1 chip at AI Day 2021. (Credit: YouTube)

Tesla's FSD module is powered by a supercomputer called Dojo, which runs on a layered chip called D1. Project lead Ganesh Venkataraman showed it off at last year's AI Day, and last month, Tesla released some deep-dive docs on the tech, Electrek reports(Opens in a new window), so the "highly technical" part of Friday's AI Day will probably include more details on Dojo.

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