Analysis: how driverless cars change everything

Self-driving cars are emerging from a far-off science fiction future into a reality that’s just around the corner, and these new vehicles will change a lot more than just how we get to work and back.

I have been talking about driverless cars for about ten years and ridiculed for most of that time. I was just getting used to seeing audiences’ eyes roll and glaze over as they thought I was pitching a Twilight Zone episode.

Then something really interesting happened: people began to believe this wasn’t just a view of the future from The Jetsons. Driverless cars are here, and even the biggest skeptics can see that something of compelling importance is about to happen.  (more)

Web Insight: who applies online for loans?

Each week we examine a new key development in digital technology to clarify how the world uses the Web today — and how it will change tomorrow.

Our current topic comes from the Center’s upcoming study on the future of money and digital financial services: how are education and income related to the ways Americans apply for their loans online and offline?

Explore the current Web Insight topic here.

Center to release first study on digital technology and transportation in the United States

This month, the Center for the Digital Future will release its first study that explores how technology is affecting the views and behavior of Americans and their transportation.

Digital technology has produced the most significant transformation in transportation since the release of the Model T.  The Center’s study explores these changes in a national survey that includes more than 100 issues involving personal cars and public transportation, emerging opportunities such as get-a-ride services and occasional-use car programs, and views about self-driving cars.

Sign up to get a free copy of the Future of Transportation report later this month.

Update — Brad Berens, Ph.D., chief strategy officer at the Center and project lead for the Future of Transportation Project, discussed opportunities and challenges for the transportation industry with Peter Kosak, executive director of General Motors’ Urban Mobility Program, in an interview published in the Oracle Data Cloud Blog.  Read the interview here.

Center director Jeff Cole explores "cutting the cord"

Center director Jeffrey Cole highlights the unbundling of content from cable providers, pricing models, and new consumer behavior at 2015 annual leadership meeting of the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

View the video.