Engineers test AI models behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla

Three engineers connected large language models to a 2024 Toyota Corolla to test whether the software could navigate the vehicle, Wired AI and Yahoo Autos reported. The researchers set up the experiment in a drive-thru lane near a Bay Area restaurant. [1][3]

Wired AI reported that the engineers linked a chat interface to a server connected to several windscreen mounted cameras and the car power steering system. A safety driver kept a foot over the brake pedal while OpenAI GPT-6 Astra navigated the vehicle to the take-out window. [1]

The experiment tested multiple artificial intelligence models, including software from OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. Wired AI reported that engineers tested GPT, Claude, and Grok, but only one model succeeded. Yahoo Autos reported that the AI agents crashed the vehicle on eight out of eleven test runs. [1][3]

Artificial intelligence refers to computational systems that perform tasks associated with human reasoning and decision-making. The Toyota Corolla is a compact car produced by Toyota Motor Corporation that has sold tens of millions of units globally. [4][5][7]