Part 4/8:
Beyond traditional vehicle sales, the real driver of Tesla’s future lies in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Ives sees AI as a $1 trillion "play" on its own, with Tesla positioned as a leader along with Nvidia—a key player in AI hardware and software.
The trajectory of Tesla’s AI endeavors, particularly the autonomous ride-hailing robotaxis, is central to this vision. The company has made significant strides, with data indicating remarkably low crash rates for Tesla’s autopilot—one accident every 6.3 million miles, compared to one every 700,000 miles for conventional vehicles. While this is promising, the market is eager to see whether Tesla’s robo-taxi deployments in cities like Austin can operate safely without supervision.