Google Cars Self-Drive To Walmart Supermarket in Trial (bbc.com)

Google's sister-company Waymo has announced a trial in which its self-driving cars will ferry shoppers to and from a nearby Walmart store to pick up their groceries. From a report: For now, the pilot is being restricted to 400-plus members of its early rider programme in Phoenix, Arizona. However, it indicates how the tech giant thinks the autonomous vehicles could be deployed if and when they exit the experimental stage. One expert said cost would be key. The only word on pricing so far is a promise to offer participants discounts when they order goods via Walmart's Online Grocery Pickup service as part of the deal. "If this is rolled out properly you would expect there to be a reasonably high threshold in terms of the price and spend commitment to justify the service," commented Julie Palmer, a retail expert at the consultancy Begbies Traynor. "You'd expect it to be limited to shoppers buying higher value items."

Comments

Neo-Feudalism

[nickmalthus]

US laws are based on property rights and as we have seen with recent Supreme Court decisions corporate persons are superior to natural individuals in their eyes.

Cloud based services like music and video game services ensure content control is centrally retained and subscribers have no ownership rights. Pay the subscription fee or lose access. If the Cloud provider goes out of business all assets are lost.

The repeal of Net Neutrality means corporations can censor or discriminate communications at their whim. Freedom of Speech need not apply.

Now with autonomous vehicles the freedom of movement is under assault. Autonomous vehicle companies are lobbying together to ban private cars in cities..

In a corporatocracy individuals don't have inalienable rights, only terms of service where any grievances are handled in forced arbitration.